Transitions
by petthekat
Summary: Part 3 of the Penance/Ryoshuu verse. The next generation of Hamato ninjas journey out into the city, only to find things are not as simple as they'd once believed. Threats are revived and old faces become new enemies. Featuring Tigerclaw backstory.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'm back! You guys have spoken and here it is. The third part in the Penance/Ryoshuu trilogy joins the wild and crazy kids of the turtles and sees them get their first real taste of combat – which may or may not end well.

Official summary? Well, I don't have one. You'll just have to wait and see. (: Thanks again to any readers! I love this fandom!

* * *

"You are not serious."

"I am 100% serious. Arm tied behind my back, leg all bruised up, still got that sorry mugger on the ground." Raphael rolled his shoulder as he entered the kitchen behind Leonardo. "Course, that was back in my younger days. As Roman likes to remind me." He rolled his eyes at Leo's smirk, but their conversation was quickly cut short by the shrill ring of a cellphone. Leo and Raph both patted themselves, but it was Leo who answered.

Raphael stopped at the lair's counter and pulled out some bread for a sandwich, eyes on Leo.

"Yes, this is Leonardo Hamato," he answered, leaning against the counter as he cast a quick glance at Raph. "Whoa, whoa, whoa – did you say a _fight?"_ Leo pulled the phone from his ear and put it on speakerphone before continuing. "Yeah, I think you've got the wrong Hamato," he looked pointedly to Raphael. "My son doesn't get into fights."

Some papers shuffled on the other end of the receiver. "Uh, Luka Yoshi Hamato, grade seven?" asked a woman's voice.

Leo blinked. "Well, yeah. That one is mine."

"Yes, well," the prim secretary's snobbish tones filtered through the speaker. "It would seem I reached the correct number then. You or his mother needs to come to the school to pick him up _and_ meet with the principal."

"Wait," Leo cut her off. "Is Luka okay? Is he hurt?"

"Well, no, he's fine, but the other boys – "

" _Boys_?" he repeated incredulously, looking wide-eyed to Raphael. "How many others were there?"

The woman paused. "Four," she answered after a moment. Leo's fingers curled on the countertop in an effort at self-control. "But," she continued on hurriedly, "as I said, Luka isn't hurt. He's just waiting for someone to pick him up in the principal's office."

Leo scowled and covered up the phone's mouthpiece. "Who can pick him up?" he asked Raph. "Ame's in the lab right now. She's not going to have her phone on her." Raphael bit into his sandwich.

"Oh!" he said around a mouthful of bread. "Aniyah is off today. She's just finishin' up lunch with some of her work friends. She'll get him." Leo nodded quickly and returned to the phone.

"His aunt is coming to pick him up," he said, with no small amount of irritation. "She's on his list." With that, he hung up the phone and set it aside with a sigh. "What's going on? Luka in a fight? I mean, come on – _and what in the hell are you smirking about_?"

Raphael forced himself to swallow around his laughter. "It's just – I mean, damn. Luka fought off four kids!"

"Raph."

"By himself!"

"They're not supposed to fight in school."

"I know, I know," Raphael bit into his sandwich again, not swallowing before he spoke again. "Still… pretty badass."

Leo raised a brow ridge, before reaching forward and stealing some potato chips. "Well," he said after a long moment. "I mean, yeah, obviously."

* * *

 _Slam._

Aniyah Hamato entered the middle school office with a sickeningly sweet smile, which she did not bother to pass to the secretary who balked when Aniyah walked right by her, down the small hallway and into the principal's office, the door of which she also slammed wide-open.

"Principal Trevor," she greeted icily.

The man jerked in his seat and looked up, all color fading from his face at the sight of the woman standing in front of him. "Mrs. Hamato," he replied dully in greeting. "I wasn't expecting to see you again after Roman went to high school."

"I'm here for Luka," she said with a misleading smile, one which the principal offered reluctantly in return.

"Oh? And what exactly is your… relation to the young man?"

Aniyah folded her arms. "I'm his aunt."

The principal looked between Aniyah and the skinny Asian boy skeptically before clicking his tongue. "Right," he said dryly. "Didn't realize all of you were …related."

"Well, we are. Lucky you," she said flatly.

Obviously he disagreed with her, but he had no time to say so, because Aniyah brushed inside and immediately turned in a circle until she spotted Luka, who sat curled as far as he could manage into a stiff-backed chair. "Luka!" she kneeled in front of him, her face instantly shifting into concern.

"M'okay, Auntie," he mumbled.

Aniyah scanned his face, eyes and hands, even pausing to adjust his glasses with a gentle smile. "You sure? You can tell me if you're hurt." Luka relaxed a bit and nodded.

"Really, I'm fine."

"Unlike the other boys," Principal Trevor spoke up behind her, and Aniyah stood slowly and turned to face him. With one long finger, she prodded the office door closed, her expression melting back into a steely gaze once more.

"Luka," she glanced to the young boy. "What happened?"

"It wasn't my fault," he said earnestly, sitting up straighter. "Those guys came up to me at lunch and took my sketchbook. When I tried to get it back, they pushed me and one of them tried to punch me."

"It doesn't matter who started the fight," the principal cut in. "Which is why Luka will be suspended from school with the others."

"Suspended?" Aniyah exclaimed. "He was defending himself!"

"Our school has a very strict no-violence policy. If Luka was in danger, he should have notified a teacher."

Aniyah's eyes narrowed. "So let me get this straight," she said with unnerving calmness, taking a few slow steps in the direction of the principal's desk, to which he responded by leaning back in his rolling chair. "You, as the principal of this school, let my little tiny nephew – who, by the way, is 85 lbs if he's an ounce – "

"...weigh more than that," Luka muttered in the corner.

" – get jumped by four other boys and you're blaming _him?_ Because he couldn't escape from them long enough to notify a freaking teacher?"

"I don't know why you're complaining," the principal retorted loudly. "Your 'little tiny nephew' is unharmed while the other four boys are in the nurse's office getting treated for their injuries."

"Oh, so now you're going to blame him because he won? Look at him! Does he really look like a fighter?"

The squat man flipped through some papers and said, "One of them has a _broken rib_."

Aniyah paused. "Beginner's luck," she said with a shrug.

The principal sighed heavily and stood, rounding his desk and trying to look imposing, which was difficult, given that he stood almost half a foot shorter than Aniyah. "M'aam, I'm sorry, but Luka is suspended for a week and it's best if you take him home now."

"Fine!" snapped Aniyah. "Then we'll just use that free week to take him to Disney World!" She shouldered her purse and sent one last glare at the principal before beckoning to Luka. "Come on, Luka."

Luka jumped up and snatched up his backpack before hurrying out after her.

In the parking lot, Aniyah took a deep breath and winced. Eugh, her jaw was already aching from clenched teeth. Luka shuffled next to her silently, his eyes on the asphalt. Before they got to the car, Aniyah stopped him with a gentle touch on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry you got suspended," she said sincerely, pulling him into a hug. He leaned into it and still somehow managed to shrug.

"S'okay," he said. "My teachers will let me make up the work, even if they're not supposed to." He pulled away and reached into his backpack. "Those guys ripped my drawing, though." He showed her the split sketch, and Aniyah smiled as she took it and held it together.

"Man, I'm sorry. This is a great drawing. But I'm sure you can do another. You've come such a long way since you started." She handed it back to him, though she paused further before getting in the car. "You didn't use your staff on those guys, did you?"

Luka looked a bit offended. "Of course not."

"Okay, okay," she got in the car as Luka slid into the passenger seat. "I was just making sure."

Luka buckled his seatbelt and frowned. "Is Dad mad at me?"

"Oh, no," Aniyah said, adjusting the mirror. "Well, I mean, probably not. I don't know, because I didn't talk to him. But you were defending yourself. I don't think he's mad. Right? I think."

Luka raised a brow at her. "That doesn't sound very reassuring."

"Yeahhh, let's maybe just go get ice cream first."

* * *

The soft gurgling of tea brought Leonardo into focus. He poured himself a cup from the ancient pot.

"Sorry I'm late, Master Splinter." He sipped from his cup and paused to savor the warmth and flavor. The room flickered in candlelight, dim in all the corners. "Today's been kind of a crazy day. And last week was insane, too. Luka had his first piano recital. It's so easy for us to watch in there. That whole ceiling is just made for spying. He did great."

Leo sat back on his haunches. "And you know, Mira's hockey team is in the playoffs right now. So she's been doing that, and we were able to watch her first game last night. It was really close, but they won in the end." He sighed and drained his cup. "But then today, Luka got into a fight at school." Without waiting for a reply, he went on, "I know, right? _Luka_. I don't know, sometimes… sometimes I feel like we're just not getting to the kids. Like they don't understand what we're doing with our ninjustsu." He smiled a bit. "But Raph and I are really trying. I think we're doing more good than harm. Maybe. Really, though, the kids should be here any minute – "

"Oh my _god,_ Mira, stop!"

"No, I'm not gonna stop until I know who ate my freaking cupcake!"

"I already told you, it was Uncle Mikey!"

"He would never betray me like that!"

 _Crash._ Something fell beyond the screen door that separated Leo from the main dojo.

"Oh, way to go, you two!"

Leo sighed. "And time for another day of training," he said wryly. Despite his weariness, he smiled and stood, his resolve firm. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." With a heavy hand, he stepped forward and brushed his fingers over an alter holding a vase of ashes and a single framed photograph.

"I miss you, father."

* * *

"Hajime!"

 _Clang. Bang._ Mira ducked away from Roman and swiped her katana high, catching the end of on his chigiriki before ducking out of the way of the other.

"Mira, you're leaving your flank open," Leo called to her as he paced on the side of the mat. She responded by twirling and cutting low, which Roman only barely caught very near his leg.

"Holy hell," he yelped, rolling away and countering with a hit of his own, which she deflected. "You almost really cut me that time!" Mira slammed her katana overhead, which he blocked.

"Aw," she taunted. "Poor widdle Roman want me to use bokken instead of the scary katana?" _Clang. Zing._ She swiped at his side and Roman caught her blade with the chain of his weapon, twirling it out of her grip.

"Nah," he grinned. "I like a challenge."

"Oh, you'll get one!"

Daniella yawned off to the side of the mat, while Damon and Luka subtly played rock-paper-scissors. Mira and Roman paid no attention to them, and barely any to Leonardo as he barked commands. Finally, Roman managed to disarm Mira's other blade, kick her feet out from under her body and send her to the mat.

"Yame!" Leo called, stepping onto the mat as Mira pushed herself up with a grunt. "That was good," he said, "But I need to see more – "

"YAH!" Mira dove into Roman bare-handed and sent them both to the floor, to absolutely no one's surprise, including Leonardo who glared up at the ceiling for a moment before reaching forward and pulling the still struggling Mira away by the collar of her tank top.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Mira? Accept your losses gracefully!" he scolded.

Roman snickered. "Yeah, Mira."

"But he cheated!"

"Mira," Leo warned.

"Yeah, _Mira."_

"Roman!" Leo dropped Mira's top and dragged a hand down his face. "Okay, that's it for the day. You're free to go." Mira stalked away and grabbed her katana off the mats. With a flick of a tiny switch at the handle, the two blades jumped into their hilts and became short enough to fit in her chest strap, which she normally kept hidden under her shirt.

"Punk," she muttered at Roman as they left.

"Midget," he grinned.

The others filtered out behind them, but Luka was stopped by a hand at his shoulder. "Stick around a minute," said Leo, and Luka nodded reluctantly. Once his cousins were gone, Luka stood rigidly in his spot, waiting for Leonardo to speak. As usual, his father took his time gathering what he wanted to say. Perhaps he thought it was a kindness, one which allowed Luka time to gather his thoughts, but all it really did was exacerbate his anxiety.

"Aniyah tells me the fight at school wasn't your fault," said Leo. Luka shrugged, to which Leo cleared his throat pointedly, so Luka looked up and met his gaze.

"It wasn't. Those guys attacked me."

Leo made some tea. "And you couldn't get to a teacher?"

The younger of the two fought a sharp pang of irritation. "No," he said simply.

His father crossed the dojo and sat on the rug, and after gesturing for Luka to do the same, he said, "You know you're not supposed to fight. We have these rules for a reason."

"I know."

"You have the potential to really hurt someone, Luka. You need to be more careful."

Luka clenched his teeth, and for a moment, he said nothing, his eyes low. Unfortunately, the emotion of the day still felt a little too raw for his father's quiet logic. At last, he looked up at Leo's face and met his gaze.

"What is the point in us learning all of this if we're not even allowed to defend ourselves?"

Leo sighed and set aside his tea. "I've told you a thousand times. Ninjutsu is not just about martial arts. It's about enlightenment, gaining an understanding one's self and nature. It's about learning our place in the world and treating that world with respect, not carving out a place for ourselves without thinking of the consequences."

"Then why do we even bother learning to fight?"

"Because we need to treat ourselves with the same respect we give others. We need to take care of our bodies and our minds." Luka's father looked to him for a long moment. "And because sometimes we have no choice but to fight," he added softly.

Luka frowned a little. "But no one's bothered our family since before Roman was born. We're safe now. Right?"

Shifting forward, Leo leaned over and gripped Luka's shoulder in a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, Luke. We're safe." He touched his head affectionately for just a moment before pulling away. "I'm glad you're okay, son."

Luka managed a small smile. "Me, too," he admitted, which made Leo laugh. They stood together and left the dojo.

* * *

"You know what I think?"

Leonardo glanced up from the newspaper, lips quirked. "I never know what you're thinking, Raph." He looked back to the black and white text and sipped at his coffee. Raph rounded the countertop and plopped down onto a stool.

"I think the kids have outgrown the dojo," he said, ignoring Leo's jab. He had matured a _little,_ after all. Or perhaps he just had a one-track mind. That was much more plausible. Leo set the newspaper aside and raised a brow ridge, but Raph stopped him before he could protest. "Look, I'm not sayin' we suspend their training. The opposite, really." He paused and leaned forward, doing a poor job of disguising his anticipation.

"I say we let the kids start doin' patrols."

Leo nearly dropped his coffee cup. "Are you crazy? They're – they're teenagers!"

"And what were we?" Raph asked, folding his arms and leaning back on the stool. "Hell, we were all younger than they are now. Well, except Luka. But Master Splinter knew he couldn't keep us locked up in here forever."

"That was different," Leo frowned. "Our kids have lives. We don't have to send them out on patrols to keep them busy."

"But we do!" Raph protested. "They're goin stir crazy in the dojo, Leo! We need to get them some real experience. Nothin' too hard core. Just a little … " he grinned a little. "Street justice."

"Absolutely not." Leo rose from his seat and moved to wash out his cup, but Raphael followed him and blocked his path out of the kitchen.

"Leo," he said more seriously. "We gotta teach these kids there's more to being a ninja than sparring each other. They're getting' too complacent. And what else is more important than defending your home? Master Splinter knew that. Why do you think he let us leave and fight in the first place?"

Leo paused, his thoughts turning back to their lost father. Raphael shrugged his heavy shoulders. "You don't think he was scared as hell every time we left? I don't want Roman or any of the others to get hurt. But they're old enough now. They gotta learn that there's more to life than texting and sports and … television or whatever the hell else it is they do."

With a heavy sigh, Leo leaned against the counter. "It's really scary when you're almost right," he conceded. "Okay, fine. We can give it a shot." He grabbed his newspaper off the counter. "Just hope they don't … well, go crazy."

"Nah," Raphael grinned. "Not our kids."

* * *

"Will, you made it!"

Roman grinned up as a tall teen joined him at the cafe table. "Yeah," the other laughed. "Finally got away from practice." He looked around. "Where are the others?" Roman pointed to the front of the coffee shop, where a sound stage sat brightly illuminated amidst a dimly lit room of tables, chairs and a barista counter. Dancing in front of the stage was Dani and Mira.

" _And I wonder_ ," sang Damon at the microphone, guitar in hand, " _When I sing along with you, if everything could feel this real forever_." He looked across the dark room and spotted Will at the table with Roman, so he smiled and winked as he sang.

"Oh my god," shrieked a girl at the table next to them. "He just winked at me!"

"Oh, he is so hot," said the other, sending Roman into a hysterical fit of laughter. The song came to an end ("WHOO!" screamed Mira and Dani in unison, the perfect band fangirls for all of Damon's small gigs) and Roman sipped from his drink before sending a smirk Will's way.

"Ready to go ruin those girls' day?" he whispered. Will gave him an amused glance before standing.

"Oh, yeah," he said, jumping up from the table and striding ahead of the girls as Damon and his bandmates hopped off the stage and he pulled off his guitar. "Great job, baby," Will said, tugging lightly on Damon's shirt, who happily followed the motion and met his lips in a kiss.

"Thanks," Damon chuckled, looking up curiously when the girls behind them groaned and shuffled away. "What's that about?"

"They wanted to have your ginger babies," explained Will with a sound nod. Damon snickered and took hands with Will before heading back to the table, where Dani slid him a cup of water. Mira popped up next to the table, curly hair bouncing under her backwards cap.

"Duuuude," she said, "That was awesome."

Will let Damon take his seat since he'd been standing and leaned against the back of it, slim arms around Damon's shoulders. Will and Damon were built very similarly, tall and lean, but Will was as dark as Damon was pale, and his hair was black and cut short. "How was your batting practice?" asked Damon over his shoulder, and Will rolled his eyes.

"Pretty much the same. Gotta work on it some more. But hey, don't you worry. When our schools play again, we're kicking your ass."

"But just think," Damon said, waving his cup of water. "We would have never met if my team hadn't played yours. And won. Okay, maybe that part is irrelevant."

Will thumped him in the neck. "You just worry about your outfielders, okay? They always look like they're taking a nap." Damon opened his mouth to retort, but stopped when Will's brows furrowed and his fingers flickered at the collar of Damon's t-shirt. "Where'd this bruise come from? Geez, baby. You always have some new mark on you."

"It's from baseball," Damon answered automatically, casting a sidelong glare at Mira, who whistled innocently. She'd landed one too many good hits on him with the hilt of her katana the day before. Will straightened and rounded Damon's chair, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You get bruised and banged up more than anyone else I know."

Damon paused and then squinted one eye at Will. "Did I mention I'm super white? Like, almost transparent. I could fall into a vat of cotton candy and come out looking like I just did three rounds with Tyson."

"It's true," added Roman helpfully. "He walks by a window and gets sunburned."

"Hm," said Will, looking over him suspicously before he finally nodded. "Well, anyway, are you ready to go? We're supposed to study tonight." Damon froze, his eyes going wide before he quickly recovered.

"Uh, I can't. Sorry, I – uh," he drummed his fingers on the table.

Dani cut in, "Family monopoly night. Can't miss it. On pain of death." Will raised a brow.

"Oh, really? And why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I forgot."

Will narrowed his eyes again, but Damon couldn't think of any better excuses, so he simply smiled and hoped he could win this one on pure charm. Will didn't seem completely convinced, but he wasn't willing to question it further. "Fine," he said shaking his head and leaning over to kiss Damon. "But this better not just be another way to get out of studying. You are _terrible_ at Chemistry."

"Yeah, that's what my Chemistry teacher tells me." Damon hopped up and pulled Will into one last kiss. "I'll text you later. I promise."

"And you'll be at dinner in two weeks to meet my parents?" asked Will, to which Damon nodded slowly, his eyes darting to Dani.

"Yyyyess," he said, with another wide smile. "Yes. I will."

"Damon," warned Will. "This is serious. My parents are only just now getting cool with me being gay. I want them to meet you so they know you're not a freak."

"Not a freak, got it. I will be there. Normal and clean."

Finally Will left, waving a good-bye to the others, and Damon collapsed back onto his chair. "Damn," he muttered. "If tonight's patrol ends up becoming a regular thing, I'm gonna have to think of a better excuse to tell Will." He blanched. "I hate lying."

"You get used to it," said Dani dryly.

"Come on, guys!" Mira shared a devious grin with Roman before whispering loudly. " _It's ninja time_!"

* * *

"These are so badass!" exclaimed Mira, stepping out from behind the changing panel of the dojo. Roman looked up from where he was adjusting the last of his own shozoku to see Mira emerge, fully dressed in the black, lightly armored uniform Uncle Donnie had made for all them, the form-fitting nature of which did not escape Roman's attention.

He stared unblinkingly at Mira for a moment before Raphael thumped him hard in the stomach. "Ow!"

"Finish getting dressed," his father said pointedly, and Roman hurriedly finished his straps. Mira hurried up to him, her normally bushy hair tied into a slick braid.

"Here, stupid," she said, moving up to him and finishing one of the buckles on his side. When she was done, Roman schooled his expression carefully into one of calm and then thumped her shoulder.

"Go away."

"Alright, guys," Leo rounded up the kids. "Here are the rules. This is a trial patrol. That means you stick to the rooftops, you observe your area, and if _absolutely necessary_ , you intercede. Also," he looked to Roman. "Do not get arrested. Do you understand?"

"Why're you looking at me?" asked Roman, offended. Raphael rolled his eyes.

"Because you're the leader, doofus!"

Roman blinked as his cousins snickered. "Oh, yeah," he flushed. "Right, so. I'm the leader. Okay, so you guys aren't coming with us right, Dad? Sensei? You're really letting us do this on our own?"

Leo folded his arms. "As much as it pains me to say this... yes."

"Go ninja go nina go!" Mira danced, before running out of the door, leaving her cousins to hesitate only for a moment before turning and running out after her wildly. Roman only restrained himself long enough to bow before he took off after them.

Leo dashed out as well. "PATROL DOESN'T MEANT LOOKING FOR TROUBLE, GUYS!"

"What?" asked Damon's fading voice as they hurried out of the lair. "What else would it mean?"

* * *

The night air was warm, and Roman looked out over the streetlight lined streets with no small amount of satisfaction. They were out. They were doing it. They were _real ninjas._

"Keep vigilant, guys," he said from where he stood on the edge of the roof, his back to the others. "You never know who might need us."

A moment of silence. And then - "This is boring!" exclaimed Mira, and Roman scowled heavily, turning to face her. "Mira – Hey, Damy! Stop texting!"

"I'm trying to get Will off my back!" he argued, before looking up in annoyance as Mira and Dani both collapsed into laughter. "Oh, yeah, you guys are so funny."

Roman looked over to Luka, who stood staring blankly into the distance. "Luka!" The boy jumped. "Are you keeping watch or are you just doing that weird trance thing?"

"I'm thinking," Luke admitted.

"About what?"

The young boy paused. "This really cool documentary I watched on tv the other day. It was about vikings."

Roman huffed. "Screw vikings! They're the natural enemy of ninja."

"I thought that was pirates," Damon teased.

"Pirates AND vikings!" Roman argued heatedly, making the others snicker, much to his growing impatience. "They both, like – pillage stuff. And that's not cool. Pillaging is not cool."

"Shut up!" Mira jumped forward and shoved Damon out of the way, who toppled over with a yelp and a thud. "Look, that shop clerk is getting robbed!"

Roman leaped to his feet. "Awesome!" He paused. "Well, okay. Not awesome. Anyway, come on!" The group of five hurried down from the rooftop and into the street, black masks pulled up to conceal most of their faces. The three robbers moved to the door just as Roman burst through first, ahead of the others, chigiriki in hand.

"Stop!" he called out. "Put your hands up!" He then reflected on how nice it was to be on the other side of such a command. Hm.

"What the hell?" one of the robbers looked to the other. "Get out of the way, fool!" He lifted a gun and Roman ducked, rushing forward and knocking the man off his feet while the shop clerk shrieked and slammed the panic button a hundred times. Mira came in behind him with a wild yell, with the twins and Luka on her heels.

"Whoa!" Dani slammed right into her and the two of them toppled over, where as Luka barely escaped getting pistol whipped by one of the men in their desperation to escape.

"Luka!" Damon slammed his nunchucks into the face of the robber, who toppled forward and fell into a shelf that then landed on Roman and the first robber, sending them both into a Coca-Cola display.

"STOP DESTROYING MY SHOP!" screamed the clerk.

"Hey, what're we supposed to do? Kill these guys?" Mira shouted, suddenly looking panicked. Roman slid to a stop in the midst of the chaos.

"Uh, well – No, no of course not! We're supposed to – I don't know, tie them up with something!"

"Like what?" yelled Damon. "We're not freaking Spider-Man!"

Dani turned on her heel and slammed an elbow into one robber's jaw, sending him to the floor, but he caught her leg and brought her down with him. She kicked him in the face sharply and rolled away. "Tell us what to do, oh great leader!" she snarled.

"Oh, so now I'm the leader?" Roman groaned sarcastically. "You never wanted to listen to me before!"

"JUST SHUT UP AND TELL US WHAT TO DO!"

Sirens blared in the distance. "Hey, idiots! We gotta get out of here!" Mira snatched Roman's arm and grabbed Luka with the other. "Come on, out the back!" The five teens hurried to the back of the store just as police swarmed the front of the shop.

"Go go go!" Roman pushed all the others through ahead of him and they rounded into the side alleyway, but they skidded to a stop and stumbled all over each other when they saw a police car blocking the entrance. Roman yanked them behind a large dumpster.

"What do we do?" Luka whispered, eyes wide with panic. Roman looked all around before he reached up to the dumpster lid.

"Get in."

Dani glared. "I freaking hate you, Rome."

"Do you want to get arrested?"

"I don't!" Damon quipped, jumping up first and landing in the garbage bin with a thud. The others quickly followed and the lid slammed down just before the police came around the corner and looked through the alley, but judging from their chatter, they figured the "strange looking kids with weapons" had run off.

Roman peeked out from under the lid.

"Guess we gotta stay here for a minute. Looks like the police are sticking around."

"My hand just touched something sticky," whimpered Dani.

* * *

"Man," Mira put her chin in her hand. "How long have we been in here?"

Dani looked at her phone's brightly lit screen. "Forever," she groaned, and Damon sighed.

"I could be in bed right now."

"Yeah, well, this is just a little hiccup," said Roman confidently. "We'll get the hang of it."

Daniella scowled. "This is all you fault, Roman! You just _had_ to prove you're a big bad ninja to Sensei and your dad, didn't you?" She waved her hand and pretended to faint before saying in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, notice me senpai!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Hey guys." The fivesome shrieked in unison, each recoiling further into the bin until they spotted the familiar face hovering above them. "You know this is for garbage, right?"

Damon squinted against the light. "Right where we belong then," he said wryly.

"Dad!" Mira jumped out and into Mikey's arms, and he pulled her from the garbage bin. The others stumbled out behind her, and Luka landed rather ungracefully before complaining about leg cramps.

Mikey patted her head. "You okay? Whoo, you guys totally reek!"

"Yeaaah," Roman brushed himself off. "How about we just not mention this to Dad and Sensei?" Mikey hummed thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I don't really think that's necessary." He looked straight up, and the five teens followed his gaze to see Leonardo and Raphael standing on the rooftop above them, looking down at the alleyway with equal expressions of amusement and pity.

"Have you guys been watching us all night?" moaned Mira.

Leo stooped at the edge of the roof. "Oh, yeah. And it was riveting."

"Specially the part where you guys hid in a dumpster for two hours," added Raphael. Mikey patted Mira's shoulder as he pulled up the hood of his jacket and walked them out of the alley with an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, baby girl. We were pretty terrible when we first started, too."

Mira grimaced and leaned into him tiredly. "Really? Because I'm starting to think New York City would just be better off without us."

* * *

 _Oki Islands, Japan_

The screen blurred before sharpening into focus, though the figure speaking was hidden behind a specialized screen, one which displayed his words in glowing text as he spoke them.

"Bounty Hunter. Have you considered my offer?"

A low growl sounded in the dimly lit room. "As I have told you on multiple occasions, I am not willing to accept such a contract."

"It is outside of your skills, then?"

"Nothing is outside of my skills," boasted the hunter. "I refuse to travel to New York City for reasons that are my own, no matter how many times you make the offer, nor how many times you insult me by raising the price of the bounty."

"Pity. I had hoped for more. You and your partner are rumored to be the best."

"And so we are," the hunter answered. "Yet I speak for us both. Your job offer holds no interest. Do not attempt to contact me again." He reached forward, shutting off the screen with a snarl before he stormed out. The door shut behind him with a slam.

A beat passed in stillness before a figure moved in the shadows, a pair of flashing green eyes turning to the screen left behind by the hunter. With a few clicks of the keyboard, the figure quickly brought the screen back to life and scanned the text from the conversation.

Then, with a single glance at the darkened doorway, the shadow typed a much welcomed response.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Whoo! Thank you for the reviews. These crazy kids. And it's only going to get crazier… So stick around.

This story makes me so happy.

* * *

The last of the customers disappeared with a jingle from the front door, but Mira was hardly paying attention; instead, she was half-heartedly wiping Table 20 with a filthy rag that had no business doing any cleaning at all.

"Yo, earth to Mira," her mother's curly head appeared in front of her. "You plan on cleaning any of the other tables any time soon, or are you just going to wear a hole in that one?" Mira blinked out of her stupor and scrunched her nose before tossing down the rag.

"Sorry," she muttered, her grumbling only intensifying when her mother looped an arm around her shoulders.

"Still upset about Dumpster Fest?" asked Mel.

"Stop calling it that!" groaned Mira, pulling away and marching up to the counter with a pout, where Dani leaned forward and sighed heavily.

"Oh, come on, you two! That was a week ago. I think you deserve credit for trying," said Mel as she pulled out the cash drawer. "Besides, it wasn't THAT bad." She paused. "I mean, one time Mikey got sucked into an interdimensional portal and spent like, two years in a weird space land all by himself."

Mira and Dani blinked.

"So," Mel continued pointedly. "At least you didn't screw up that bad!"

Daniella raised a slim brow. "Okay, so I don't think that's really a fair comparison. And just so you know, it WAS that bad. Even I was embarrassed. And that's saying something, because I have virtually no shame."

"It's true," came Damon's voice behind them as he sauntered inside, hands in the pockets of his jeans. "She stole a kindergartener's ice cream one time. And we were like… _nine_."

Roman entered behind him, and with a reach over his shoulders, he pulled Luka up onto his back and let his little cousin cling to his neck happily. "Damn, Dani. That's harsh."

"Hey!" Dani pointed a newly polished fork from her tray. "That little girl had been mean mugging me all day. She got what she deserved." With a toss of the last of her napkins, she pulled off her apron and stuffed it into the cubby hole under the counter. "Can we go now, Aunt Mel? I am starving."

"Starving?" Mel repeated. "You're in a restaurant! The best restaurant, might I remind you."

"Yeah, mom," Mira pulled off her own apron. "No offense, but we're sick of noodles."

"And pizza," Roman chipped in.

"And pizza on noodles," added Damon.

"And freakin' noodles on pizza, so – "

"Okay, okay! Go, you bunch of noodle haters." Mel planted a big, sloppy kiss on a disgusted Mira's face before the five teens ambled out of the restaurant into the warm night air, Roman at the front with Luka still on his back.

"Wanna go to the pier?" he asked. "I could totally go for some carnival food." They rounded the street corner and continued on foot as Mira skipped ahead, momentarily snapped out of her morose behavior by the thought of delicious, calorie-stuffed food.

"Ooh, man! I could so go for a chili-cheese dog!" she pointed to the sky. "I am going to embarrass myself and everyone around me!"

Dani rolled her eyes. "Well, that's nothing new."

The banter continued as the small group made their way past a series of closed stores and older buildings in Chinatown, with sirens wailing far in the distance and the heavy beats of a concert in the nearby park sounding in low, rhythmic thumps. The normal New York City noises – plus the chatter of the teens – might have disguised the strange clatters and thuds completely if not for Roman, who paused, brows furrowed and turned swiftly on his heels.

"What is it?" asked Luka, chin on his cousin's shoulder.

The others continued walking, but Roman stilled, eyes darting around the dimly lit street. "Something just – I don't know. I think I heard something weird." Mira, Dani and Damy all paused, looking back at Roman as he edged around a dark corner between some old apartment buildings.

Only to jump back sharply and land in a crouch, startling Luka on his back, because a body came flying out of the ally and crashed into a light pole, snapping it half with a loud crack. "Whoa!" The others jumped into defensive crouches and Luka hopped to the ground, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

"What the hell," Roman turned to the body only to see its various pieces sparking and popping like a busted radio. "Is that a _robot?_ " The others rushed up beside him and then hurried down the ally, ducking into the dark shadows before peering into a lit area next to a warehouse loading dock.

"Holy balls," muttered Mira in disbelief.

The robot that crashed into the light pole was not alone. In fact, dozens of other identical human-like machines moved like ants over the open loading area, fighting, dodging and falling over and over again, only to be replaced by more.

At first, the origin of the red and blue laser blasts was difficult to place, but when the sea of fighting bots parted, a figure stood at the center with two large guns raised high. Clad in black and face obscured by a partial mask, the gunman fired off shot after shot with deadly accuracy, but the numbers were quickly becoming overwhelming and his seemingly endless supply of ammo was no good when five of the robots leaped down on him from above and tackled him to the ground, causing his weapons to fall out of his reach.

He managed to throw them off with an impressive kick of his legs, but no sooner had he leaped to his feet than others grabbed him with arms of steel.

"Dude!" Mira whispered from their hiding spot. "We've got to help him!" The twins yelped in unison.

"Are you insane?" Dani gestured wildly. "We don't even know that guy! He could be the bad one!"

Roman reached into the straps under his shirt and whipped out his weapons with a narrow, focused gaze that _almost_ disguised his excitement. "Oh, right, because there are so many good guy robots. Let's kick some ass!"

The others gaped as Roman jumped up and straight into the fray, his chigiriki slamming into the first robot that dared get near him. Mira barely wasted a second before hurrying out after him, and with a _clink_ her katana jumped to their full length and swiped at the nearest robot.

The twins and Luka looked to each other with matching groans before they ran out, because hell, they couldn't let their crazy cousins fight _alone._ "YAH!" Dani sent her tessen flying through the air and managed a quick spin kick before she rolled on the ground and caught it again, much to the dismay of Luka.

"You almost cut off my head!" he shrieked from his spot, bladed staff in hand as he whirled it around his torso and sliced into the torso of a robot.

"Sorry!" she called.

Damon ran to a wall and bounced off it with a swift kick, his momentum turning him just enough to send his kusarigama chain around two bots, which he yanked off their feet and slammed his blades into. "Hey, where'd that dude go?" he yelled out, looking around.

Across the lot, Roman looked up from a robot and spotted the figure in black just as he was slammed roughly into a brick wall and sank to the ground, bleeding heavily from one side. His body slumped and his eyes, barely visible under a mop of unruly black hair, slid closed. A group of robots turned to him and rushed forward with newly procured guns raised, but Roman was faster, and with one powerful swing of his chigiriki, he beheaded the lot of them and let the broken bots fall in front of the unconscious gunman.

Mira appeared at his side, panting heavily and scraped along her right arm. "That's all of them for now, but I think more are coming!" she pointed with her katana to the street, where mechanical noises and strange beeps sounded in alarming volume. "We gotta split, people!"

To their side, Damon let out a sudden yell and fell to his knees, clutching his left arm. "Damy!" Dani rushed over and swiped her sharp tessen at the robot who had shot Damon's arm, and it crumbled to the ground with a loud crackle.

"I'm okay," he managed, clutching the strange laser burn.

"Damn it," Roman hissed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. Now that the fight was wearing off, he had to figure out what to do. "Damy, can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'm cool," he winced, and Dani put his good arm around her shoulder.

"Rome," she snapped. "Whatever is making you short circuit, get the hell over it! We've got to go!"

"Right!" he said, twirling in his spot. "But we can't just leave this guy here." Reaching forward, he picked up the slim body and hefted him over his large shoulder. "To the sewers! Go!"

* * *

Aniyah jogged into the lair, brown eyes darting around the living room to April and Donnie, who stood bewildered with Leo and Raph. "What's going on? Roman sent me a text and told me the kids needed me here," she said, worry creasing her features.

April worried her lip with her teeth. "They told us the same – "

"Coming through, got a body, make way!" Roman rushed through the group of parents with the unconscious gunman on his shoulder and the twins behind them, Damon struggling not to lean too much against Dani, but the pain in his arm was dizzying and he kind of just wanted to black out and also maybe vomit.

"Damy!" Donnie and April panicked for a split-second before going into science mode, dragging Damon into the lab, where Roman deposited the body on a table with perhaps a little less gentleness than he could have.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Raphael entered with Leonardo on his heels, but when they both stopped to stare, it was Leo who spoke.

"Roman, who is _that?_ And why is he in our lair, where our family of mutants happens to be?"

The teen in question paused. "Uh, well…"

"And what happened to Damon? What happened to all of you?"

Roman slipped a hand through his dark hair. "Well, okay, so… so there was this fight, and uh, this guy… He was like, fighting robots and – "

"Hey!" Aniyah's sharp voice cut through her son's stumbling explanation. "I need some help here if you want this guy to live! Donnie!" Donatello looked up and tore himself away from Damon, who was currently basking in the relief of pain medicine and a salve for his injury, where April and Dani hovered over him with identical expressions of anxiety.

"What's the injury?" asked the tall turtle, instantly shifting into doctor mode.

"Multiple contusions, heavy bleeding, probably some internal damage. Damn it," she looked up at Roman, who continued to stand awkwardly, a pose which looked rather unnatural on his bulky and normally confident exterior. "Why didn't you take this guy to a hospital, Roman?"

All eyes looked to Roman, including Mira and Luka, who lingered nearby with arms linked to one another, each covered in scratches and cuts.

"Seriously, Roman," Raphael turned to his son. "What were you thinking?"

"I panicked, I'm sorry!" he defended. "The police were coming, there were – robots!" he waved his arms frantically. "It didn't occur to me to like, I don't know, call 911 or something!"

"And so you brought him _here?"_ Leo shook his head, his disappointment burgeoning on disgust to the point where Roman could only tighten his jaw and look away, shame filling him. Before his father and uncle could berate him any further, however, Donnie pulled off the stranger's gloves and studied his hands, eyebrow ridges furrowed. After a few moments of close inspection, he looked up at the others.

"Hey guys," he said from where he stooped over the body. "You might want to stop giving Roman such a hard time."

"Yeah!" Roman piped up. "Wait – Why?" Aniyah looked up from where she had a thick cloth pressed over the stranger's wound as Donnie spoke.

"Because," the turtle continued, looking up at Leonardo and Raphael. "…I think this guy is a _mutant_."

Leo and Raph glanced at one another, and then to Roman, who stared, startled. "What, really?" asked Leo, but Aniyah waved away his inspection with an irritated huff.

"Well, mutant or not, he needs blood to live, so you guys are going to have to give us some space so Donnie and I can help him. Now go!"

Leo and the others retreated after a quick check on Damon, who appeared to be doing fine now that he wasn't in searing pain. Raphael grabbed him up and helped deposit him on the couch in the lair's living room, where he managed to drift off in a slumber with his head in Dani's lap, his arm now securely bandaged.

The remaining family members lingered in heavy silence for a few minutes before the doors to the lair burst open.

"Hey guys!" Michelangelo exclaimed with a boyish grin. "Man, you won't believe what I found stopping up the sink today!"

He paused, looking around at everyone. "Okayyy, so what'd I miss?"

* * *

Leonardo leaned against the doorway, watchful blue eyes on Donnie and Aniyah as they worked on the stranger, who at last seemed to be stabilizing. Wiping off her hands with an exhausted sigh, Aniyah stepped away and gestured to Leo, who signaled to Raphael and Mikey.

"So what's going on?" asked Leo in a low voice.

"He should be okay. His injuries weren't as bad as we first thought," admitted Aniyah. "He's going to take at least a week to recover from that injury on his side, but none of his ribs are broken and we've stopped the bleeding."

Mikey moved to the unconscious gunman, now unmasked, and blinked his blue eyes in surprise. "Wow, he looks so young. Barely older than Roman." Donnie nodded from the other side of the table.

"And that's not the only interesting thing about him," he said.

Leo looked to his brother. "So he is a mutant?"

"Not just a mutant," Donnie picked up a slide with a droplet of blood, which he turned carefully in his hands. "He's a _hybrid._ Just like Mira."

"You're kidding." Leo peered down at the strange young man's face, only just now seeing it clear of the mask – not to mention the blood and dirt, which Donnie and Aniyah had mostly washed away with a cloth. "No wonder he looks so human."

"Actually," Donnie moved closer and picked up the young man's limp hands. "He's got several mutant features, but they're subtle. See his hands? Claws." He moved one of the irregular digits, which was slim enough to not warrant a second glance unless one noticed the razor sharp points on its end. "He also has some faint discolorations on his skin. They're hard to see in this light, but they're definitely there."

Leo peered over the unconscious form. "They almost look like stripes."

"That's what we thought, too." Aniyah moved closer and reached up to push back the mop of shaggy black hair away from the young man's face. "He also has fangs and … well," she lifted an eyelid to display a blank, unseeing eyeball, almost neon in its shade of green, with distinct narrowed slits.

She let the eye slide closed once more as Donnie moved around her and crouched down. At Aniyah's questioning look, he pointed at the stranger's ear. "I noticed something earlier. Some kind of small device in both ear canals." He glanced up from his perusal at his brother's thoughtful hum.

"Duuuude," Mikey tapped his chin. "I wonder what he's doing here!"

Raphael folded his arms. "I say we dump him outside before he wakes up." At Aniyah's annoyed look, he tossed up his bulky arms. "Hey, you said he'd live! No reason for him to see us here!"

Leo straightened from the table. "Raph is probably right, Aniyah. We can make sure – "

"No way!" came a muffled voice from the far end of the lab, before it was quickly followed by muted shuffling and curses. "What?" came Mira's voice again. "We can't just let them throw him out!"

Scowling heavily, Raphael marched over to the storage cabinets and opened them, completely unsurprised when Mira, Roman and Luka all fell out. "How in the hell did you all even fit in there?" exclaimed Raphael. "And why're you always into stuff you shouldn't be, huh? This is your six grade graduation ceremony all over again!"

Mira jumped to her feet. "How many times do I have to tell you guys that wasn't my fault!" She shoved Roman out of her way just as he got his footing and then stepped over him. "What kind of teacher leaves an eleven year old pyromaniac unsupervised with a ceremonial tea candle anyway?" She marched past Raphael and looked to Leo.

"Please, Uncle Leo. Don't throw him out. He might need our help!"

"Mira," sighed Leo, rubbing his face. "This really isn't up to you." He looked to Roman and Luka, the latter of which was not so subtly trying to hide behind his larger cousin. "Or you, for that matter, considering your judgment lately hasn't been all that great."

"But Sensei, I – we were just trying to help."

"Your cousins almost got really hurt. Damon's lucky his injury isn't worse than it is," Leo told him firmly. "Not to mention the fact that this guy is obviously a threat, and we don't know that threat doesn't carry over to us."

"Yeah," Mikey pointed to a table filled with strange instruments. "Especially since he was packin' like, a ton of weapons. Look at all this stuff." He picked up a laser gun, which Raphael immediately snatched away. "Plus surveillance, radios, and a bunch of other stuff that looks like it came out of a James Bond movie," continued Mikey, unperturbed. "I don't even know what most of this junk is."

"But it's definitely not something a pedestrian would carry," interrupted Leonardo pointedly. "So he doesn't need to be here."

Roman's shoulders sagged. "Okay, sensei, but just so you know – " But he never got to say what Leonardo should know, because in that instant the young man jumped up from his spot on the table and vaulted over the group of turtles, landing with a roll on the opposite side of the lab and immediately rounding on them with a snarl, fangs bared.

"Hey!" Leonardo's katana made a swift appearance, his eyes suddenly hard. "Stand down! Now!"

Growing low in the back of his throat, the noise strangely guttural and loud, the hybrid backed away from the advancing turtles, now all crouched with their weapons drawn. Leo's request was ignored, and instead the stranger's eyes flickered to the table littered with his weapons. He made a leap for them but was cut off by Donatello's staff, which thwapped him hard in the stomach and sent him rolling back to the floor. He managed to stand again, but his side bled freely again and he clutched it with a wince.

Still, his snarl remained, but before he could react again, Daniella entered the lab, distracted by her inspection of a cut on her manicured hand. The young man reacted instantly and snatched an arm tight around Dani's neck, yanking her back to him and placing his clawed hand close at her throat.

"Let her go!" Donnie ordered fiercely, the blade of his staff pointed at them.

"What the – oh my god," Dani's expression shifted into her usual mask of extreme annoyance. "I do _not_ have the patience for this crap today." With a quick glance over her shoulder at her captor, Dani pulled out one arm and slammed her elbow into the young man's rib cage, which was quickly followed by a stomp to his foot and, when she turned, a high-heeled kick straight to the chest, which sent him flying off his feet and onto his back with a heavy thud.

He rolled to his side with a loud, pained wheeze, which Dani ignored in favor of stepping over him so she could take the car keys off Donnie's desk.

"Dad, I'm going to the store for Damy. He keeps asking for a stupid Klondike bar. I think he's super messed up on pain meds right now, but I'm going to go anyway." She stepped over the still gasping hybrid on her way out, as Donnie and the others stared incredulously.

"Okay, sweetie," he said with a light wave as she disappeared through the door.

"Get him up," ordered Leo with a shake of his head, and Mikey and Raphael pulled up the young man between them. Roman stepped up behind Leo with a sympathetic wince for the stranger.

"Been there, felt that," he said, rubbing the center of his chest. "You're lucky she wasn't wearing those black boots. I think I actually died for a minute there after that one."

Donnie narrowed his eyes. "He deserves it, threatening her like that." The young man squinted at him, one eye barely open as he fought to regain his breath. However, no sooner had he finally managed to stand on his own two feet – still caught between Mikey and Raph – when something buzzed behind them. Leo and the others turned to the table of various instruments and weapons, only to see something vibrating in the center.

"Hey, we pulled that off his wrist," Aniyah stepped forward and picked up the small, cuff-like device. As soon as she did so, the young man's eyes widened and he exploded into movement, fighting to escape Mikey and Raphael's grip.

"Man, he's stronger than he looks," Mikey grunted, tightening his grip.

"Donnie?" questioned Leo.

"Looks like some kind of communication device," said the taller turtle, taking the device and pressing a few buttons. "Which might explain why this kid doesn't seem to want us to use it," he nodded in the struggling man's direction as his efforts grew in earnest.

Donnie flicked a switch at the side and the buzzing suddenly stopped, only to be replaced by a gruff, strangely familiar voice.

"Answer, already! I swear it, whenever I get a hold of you, boy – "

"Whoa, hey," Leo took the device from Donnie, his brows furrowed as he spoke into the communicator. "Who is this?" The other voice halted, as did the struggling young man, his features etched with horror. For a moment, silence filled the air.

"Who is this?" asked the gruff voice. "Where is Tanaka?"

Leo looked to the others, all of whom turned to look at the stranger, who stood frozen in his spot. Leo met his gaze for a moment before he shifted the device again. "If Tanaka is the young man who had this device, he's here with us."

"Is he injured?" asked the voice.

Leo took a few measured steps as he spoke. "He is, but he'll be okay. So long as he doesn't try to fight us anymore, that is. I will not tolerate any more threats to my family. So you can tell him – "

" _..._ Hamato _?_ "

The room fell silent once more, and the four brothers looked to one another with matching expressions of dismay. "Wait a minute," Leo glanced at Donnie, his grip tight on the device. " _Tigerclaw?"_

"No way!" Mikey whispered from his spot.

Leo waved a hand for his brother to be quiet. At the other end of the receiver, the speaker exhaled what might have been a show of relief. "So he is in New York City. _Of course_ ," he grunted in displeasure. "You are sure Tanaka will be alright?"

"Yeah," Leo looked to the young man as Donnie began muttering at his side, no doubt connecting all the pieces as he shuffled away to his microscope. "Tigerclaw, is this your … son?"

"Unfortunately," hissed the tiger mutant on the other end of the line. "Now, let me speak to him." Leo hesitated, but in the end he approached the young man, who had been watching him very closely. He gestured for Mikey and Raph to step away, and when they did, Tanaka did not fight them. Instead, he took the device with no small amount of irritation, though his features were largely resigned rather than hostile.

With a quick, familiar tap of buttons on the device, Tanaka slapped it onto his wrist and, to everyone's great surprise, looked up to a small, floating screen that appeared suddenly in front of him, projected from the wrist cuff.

On the screen was the aged face of Tigerclaw.

Tanaka dropped his arms, though the projected image remained stationary, allowing Tigerclaw to look him over for a long moment before his lips curled in a snarl. "What have you done, Tanaka? You infiltrate _my_ database, steal _my_ jet and leave on an unauthorized job to the one place on the entire planet where I _expressly forbid_ you to go?"

As the turtles, Roman, Mira and Luka all watched, the young hybrid looked away from the screen with a narrowed glare on some far wall, only looking up at the screen again when Tigerclaw waved his arms to catch his attention. "I am talking to you, Tanaka! You have deliberately disobeyed me! You have dishonored yourself! You have acted like the foolish, rash, irresponsible child you are, and now you reap its consequences." When the young man remained silent, Tigerclaw growled, much like Tanaka had before. "Well?" he snapped.

Then, with sudden movement, Tanaka responded to Tigerclaw with a series of quick hand movements, gesturing to himself and to the turtles, making unusual motions and signs that were vaguely familiar, but also others that were entirely unique.

Tigerclaw watched from his side of the screen, stopping Tanaka's motions to scold him before the young man continued again, his gestures cross and exasperated as he tried to explain himself.

"Of _course_ ," Donnie whispered at Leo's side, slapping himself on the face. "They were hearing aids!" When his brother looked to him questioningly, he mentioned the small devices he'd noticed before. "The construction was so unusual, I didn't recognize them at first. But I bet you anything, they sense vibrations, to let him know when a sound is being made, even if he doesn't know what it is."

"Then how does he know what Tigerclaw is saying?" inquired Leo, astonished. Donnie gestured lowly to the still arguing pair.

"He's lip-reading. Watch how he looks at Tigerclaw. That's why he needs the screen."

Finally, Tigerclaw and Tanaka seemed to reach a very disagreeable end to their argument, as Tanaka leaned heavily against a table and huffed, but ceased his argumentative motions. Leonardo stepped forward into the view of the screen.

"Where are you, Tigerclaw? Can you come and get him?"

The tiger mutant scowled but nodded. "Yes, but it will take a day or so, as I am still in Japan and Tanaka took our only jet." He cast another annoyed glance to his son, who now very pointedly was looking away once more.

"I hate when my son steals our jet," said Leo wryly.

Tigerclaw didn't seem to get the joke, and only said, "You have my… gratitude for saving him."

Leo resisted a little smirk. "It was our kids, actually. Well, and Aniyah and Donnie. They patched him up." He straightened from his spot. "I'll send you a frequency you can reach us at. Let us know when you're in New York City. We'll keep him safe until then."

A stiff nod was Leo's only reply before the screen blinked and disappeared. Aniyah and Donnie helped the reluctant but no longer belligerent Tanaka back to the table, where they once again stitched up his wound, now with a nice matching shoe mark on the center of his chest.

Leo, Raph and Mikey gathered near the door, only giving brief looks of annoyance to Roman, Mira and Luka as they sidled up curiously to the discussion.

"So did I miss something," Mira said quietly, though she probably could've saved the whispering for someone who wasn't deaf. "Cause I thought Tigerclaw was your enemy from like, forever ago."

"And dead," Roman put in. "Didn't he get shot in the face when you guys killed Shredder?"

Raphael twirled a sai in one hand, obviously antsy. "He did," he confirmed with a nod. "But those damn Kraang never miss an opportunity to screw shit up, so they came behind us and dragged his sorry corpse back to one of their labs. Dunno what they did, but they managed to bring him back."

Mikey cut in, "And keep him captive for like, months until we banged that place up." He made an explosion noise and gestured with his hands. "Boom! Well, I mean, we got him out first, obviously. Total coincidence, to be honest. Didn't even know he was in there."

"He swore to never come back to New York City," added Leo. "And he's kept his promise. Until now, at least. And that was… what, almost twenty years ago? Before I went to Japan and met Ame, even."

Raphael glanced at the now docile young man across the room, who lay against the table and seemed more desirous of sleep than anything at the moment. "I just can't believe he's got a kid. A _biological_ kid. I mean, damn. Shock the hell outta' me."

"Wonder how that happened," Leo agreed with a look before they moved to leave the lab. Mikey snickered behind them.

"Not really all that hard, guys," he teased, wrapping an arm around Mira.

* * *

 _Russia, 1994_

The blaring sirens had long since faded, and the monotonous tones he'd grown so accustomed to were far gone, but each of the grating noises echoed in his head and threatened to pull his feet to a stop. Still, he pressed on. He had to get away.

He had to get far away.

But it was so, so cold. The tender pads of his feet had never felt the grass, nor the icy cold rocks that stabbed from underneath the unassuming snow, and so every step was twice as painful as it might've been. He continued still.

They couldn't find him. They wouldn't. He would never let them.

Whatever had caused the meltdown – whatever fantastic but perhaps ill-fated event had seen fit to spring him free of the prison that had kept him for the last three years – it had unsealed his door and sent the underground alien facility into chaos. He wasn't the only newly freed mutant roaming these powder white grounds, where the wind bit like a thousand angry insects and every hill was a pit of snow in disguise. Still, he was alone now.

He had gotten away from it all, and he was not going back. He would die here, crawling on all floors because he'd been stuffed into a low cage for so long, his spine stiff and not at all as straight as it should be. His eyes hurt, but that was nothing new. Their transformation had been among the slowest the strange ones had subjected him too. Their burn was a constant sensation, one that served as a painful reminder that he was still alive.

Now that burn felt like it was filling his entire body. How could cold air feel so hot? Some part of him wanted nothing more than a fire. The rest of him felt like he was already in an inferno.

When he collapsed into the snow, his young mind still reeling with disbelief that he was here to die, having finally escaped the worst treatment he'd ever known, he heard voices sound in the distance. Heavily accented in a lilt he'd never heard, the figures in the distance came close, but the dizziness in his head kept him from registering what was said.

Something tight jumped around his neck and yanked him from his spot, and only blearily did he register two human men peering down at him, their narrow faces dirty and unkind.

"Bloody hell! It's a cub! One of O'Malley's tigers, you think?"

"Maybe it got loose, who knows? He was in the next town over just a week ago."

He struggled weakly against the cord around his neck, but it only grew tighter, and one of the men hauled him to his four feet. "Well, it's kinda ugly looking," said the other man with a toothy grin. "But it's ours, now."

"A free tiger cub," said the first man with a happy yelp. "This'll make us a fortune! People'll come from all around to see our shows, now." Several minute went by in the snow, and only belatedly did the young cub realize he was being pulled to a village of dim lights and tents. The chatter of people and the warmth of fire – real fire – stirred him to some wakefulness, and he looked up to see the tallest of tents in front of him behind he was yanked inside.

"Tie him up to the pole, we gotta find it a cage," ordered one man, and the other did as he was told, tying up the poor young creature before loping off. The yellow warmth of the tent was offset by the strange smells, and he recoiled, exhausted but too wary to close his eyes.

"Oh!" came a small voice, and he turned sharply, baring his teeth in the wake of newer instincts, not those he was born with. In front of him stood a little girl, with hair the color of corn tied in two tight braids on either side of her heart-shaped face. He backed away, fearful, but the little girl dropped to both knees in the hay-strewn floor and smiled.

"It's alright," she whispered in an accent not unlike the men. "I'm not goin' hurt you."

Reaching out a hand, she edged forward with great patience for a child, waiting until he relaxed minutely before she touched the top of his furry, striped head, long absent of its once dark locks. After a few strokes, the little girl smiled and moved to sit next to him, her motions tender. She even scratched behind his ears, which made a small, pleased sound bubble in the back of his throat.

She giggled and did it again. "Do you like that?" she asked, delighted. "I'm glad. You're probably so cold, you poor thing. Here." She reached behind a crate and pulled out a blanket, which she fixed around him with great care.

 _Nice,_ thought the cub, words reaching his burdened mind for the first time in a very long while. For whatever reason, he didn't speak it out loud, perhaps because he was afraid he no longer could. But for the first time in so long, he was warm and content, and someone was being kind to him, so he let himself lay down his head and curl his body tight, striped tail thumping happily next to him.

The little girl moved to lie down next to him, her rosy cheeks perched high in a smile. "It's so nice to meet you," she murmured. "My name is Emily."

* * *

Author's Note: For a rather gruesome and sad one-shot on Tigerclaw's mutation, read Tora no Tsume. I decided not to put it in here, but it's canon for this story. (:


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Ahh, so excited to continue! And yes, there will definitely be more TigerClaw flashbacks. Because I'm a little obsessed with him at the moment.

* * *

 _Thwack. Thud._

Roman pulled away from his last hit at the dummy, knuckles red and skin cracked. He felt better, though. Training always had that effect on him.

Most everyone had stayed at the lair after the whole Tigerclaw conversation, including the stranger, Tanaka, who'd slept in Donnie's lab. Pulling away from the training dummy, alone in the dojo, Roman breathed in a deep inhale.

The hour was still early, and he'd assumed he was the only one awake when he'd entered the dojo, but a stir of motion caused him to look up and spot someone in the shadows of Papa Splinter's old room. Knowing who it was even without looking, Roman moved cautiously to the sliding door and peered inside.

Leonardo kneeled, hands folded in front of him and eyes closed, his head bowed respectfully in the direction of Splinter's ashes.

"You can come in," he said without looking up.

Roman hesitated before entering. "I didn't meant to bother you, Sensei." Leonardo glanced up at his words and his lips quirked a little, though Roman wasn't sure why. He shook his head and gestured for Roman to sit beside him.

After a few minutes of silence, Leo opened his eyes.

"You know," he said quietly, "once when I was just a little younger than you, I asked Master Splinter if a little appreciation was too much to ask as a leader." He raised a brow ridge. "I was angry and frustrated, because my brothers weren't listening to me and I felt like everything was going wrong."

Roman nodded slowly, unable to help a little grin. "Yeah, I can relate."

"I know," Leo said. "Sometimes being a leader just… sucks." They both snickered before Leonardo continued. "But Master Splinter told me, I shouldn't expect appreciation. I wasn't named the leader so I could ask for respect. I was given a responsibility to do what was best for my family. And that's not always the easiest or most fun decision to make."

He turned his head in Roman's direction. "I was angry at you for bringing a stranger to the lair." He paused. "After all, that is our _main_ rule."

Roman nodded his head slowly. "Yeah," he agreed. "It is."

Leo smirked a bit. "But," he said, holding up a hand. "It ended up being the right decision. And even if it hadn't, I want you to know that I still have every confidence in you." He shifted his gaze back to the stand bearing Splinter's ashes, and Roman caught a flicker of emotion in his gaze.

"Making those choices never gets easier, you know. No matter how old you get, you always wonder if what you've done is the right thing," Leo bowed his head. "All you can do is… hope."

Roman paused for a moment before lifting a hand and placing it on his uncle's shoulder. "I miss Papa Splinter too, Uncle Leo." The turtle looked to him for a moment before smiling weakly.

"Come on, I'm sure we have a very busy day ahead of us."

* * *

By mid-morning, most of the lair's inhabitants had finally stirred from bed, fought their way through breakfast (which left the kitchen looking like a real live war zone), and then continued their altercations through the morning showers, which was limited enough on a good day, much less when nearly everyone was trying to use them.

Donatello hovered over Tanaka, who remained on his back and winced only a little when Donnie prodded around his bruised ribs. "Well," said Donnie. "It looks like a lot of the swelling has gone down already. So long as you don't break your stitches again, you should heal fine."

He began to move away, but Tanaka raised a hand and Donnie paused, eyeing him with as much indifference as he could muster as Tanaka sat up a bit on the table and made a writing motion. Curious, Donnie moved to his table and picked up a writing pad and a pen, which he handed to him. After a few minutes of scribbling – including the start of something in Japanese, which Tanaka scratched through in favor of English – the young man turned the notepad to Donnie.

 _Is the girl alright?_

Well, that certainly wasn't what Donnie was expecting. To be honest, he'd been a little miffed all morning, but he'd maintained his professionalism as best as he could when dealing with the _vagabond_ who'd dared threaten his Dani. Still, Tanaka had been appropriately well-behaved since then. Twitching only a little, Donnie finally gave a slow nod.

"She's fine," he said. "And her name is Daniella. I would suggest against attacking her again." He put away some of his supplies. "But I'm sure you already figured that out."

Tanaka tilted his head at Dani's name, feline-like eyes blinking thoughtfully before he turned the paper pad to himself again and wrote.

 _I was afraid. I'm sorry._

Surprised at the frank admission, Donnie took a moment to step back and observe the young man. Now sitting demurely on the edge of the table, shirtless, bruised and wide-eyed, he certainly didn't look like a threat. In fact, he kind of reminded him of Mikey. Everything about his movements was a bit jerky, like he had trouble sitting still, and his gaze was ever curious. At least he hadn't broken anything, unlike a certain orange-banded turtle, who _still to this day_ didn't know how to keep his hands to himself.

Donnie really wanted to hold on to his irritation, but after consideration, he ultimately decided that was silly. The young man had done exactly what he was supposed to do. He'd apologized. Sincerely, even.

"Well, I guess it's true you didn't have any reason to think we weren't a threat, after what you'd been through," Donnie conceded, at last offering Tanaka a smile. "Though I think Dani is the one you should probably apologize too. You know, if you're feeling brave."

Tanaka reached a hand up to his chest and winced, though a touch of a smile reached his lips as he shook his head. _Not that brave yet,_ he wrote, making Donnie chuckle.

"Stay here, I've got to go get some fresh bandages. Then you should be able to get up and move around a little. So long as you don't try to fight, your stitches should be fine," Donnie said, before reaching over and picking up a small pile of clothes. "There are my son's. They should fit you fine for now." With that, Donnie left his patient alone to gather a few supplies.

Tanaka glanced at the clothes, but he'd hard had a chance to think about putting them on before Mira's face appeared very suddenly next to his.

"HI, I'M MIRA!"

A startled noise escaped him and he only barely caught himself against the table, his wide eyes looking to the bushy-haired girl in the baseball cap with a great deal of uncertainty. He waved awkwardly in response to her very sudden greeting.

Mira made a face. "Oh, sorry, did I scare you? I didn't mean to. Sometimes, I just get way excited," she continued animatedly. With a hop, she claimed a rolling chair and scooted up to the table. "Guess what? I'm a hybrid, just like you! Mikey – He's the turtle in the orange, I don't know if you've seen him – he's my dad, my real dad! And my mom, Mel, she's a human! I'm part-turtle! You can't really tell by looking at me, but I've got three-toed feet and a tail!" She squinted. "I'd have to take off my pants to show you, though, which I've gotten in trouble for before, so I probably won't. But!" she waved an arm. "Hey, wait, am I talking too fast?"

Her features suddenly crumbled with concern, because how could she have forgotten he was a lip-reader? Fortunately, Tanaka shook his head slowly, his body relaxing as he observed her and dropped his hands into his lap.

"Cool!" Mira exclaimed with delight. "Whoa, can you lip-read Japanese, too?"

Tanaka nodded, his own expression amused at her enthusiasm.

"Dudeeeeee," Mira gave the chair a quick spin. "That's pretty awesome. Oops, I need to face you. Sorry about all the spinning. Oh my god, I had so much sugar cereal today."

"Out please, Mira," ordered Donnie as he entered.

"Aww, let me stay, Uncle Don!"

Donnie took in a deep breath, smiled widely and said, "Let me think …. _No_." He gently prodded her out of the laboratory with one green finger. "Okay, Tanaka. Time for new bandages!"

* * *

Dani dropped down onto the lair's couch, where Luka was already seated in the center and Roman fell onto the other end. With a click of the remote control, she said gleefully, "Ooh, What Not to Wear!"

"More like What not to Watch," Roman complained. "Team Ninja Warrior is on!"

"No way," Mira fell onto the blue beanbag on the floor. "Rangers versus the Penguins! Come on, people, don't you want to see some hockey smashing action?"

"Aw," Luka made a face. "My favorite show is on, too!"

"Guys," Damon took a seat with his back against the couch, just in front of Roman's legs. "Just pick something already."

"But I want – "

"New episode – "

"HOCKEY SMASHING – "

"Hey, hey hey!" The group looked up to see April Hamato standing, her hand on her hip, eyebrow raised. "Here's an idea. Why don't you guys just all go to your own homes and watch your own televisions there?"

The group of five teens looked at each other, perplexed. After a few moments of stupefied silence, the same argument erupted again and April rolled her eyes before leaving the living room. "Okay, here's what we'll do," said Damon. "Dani and Luka's shows are only half an hour, so they can take turns watching their shows on each other's commercial breaks. When those are done, there will still be half of Mira's hockey match left. We can turn it to that."

"What about my show! Team Ninja Warrior!" protested Roman, but Damon held up a tablet, ready to stream. Roman took it with a grin and settled into the corner of the couch, his legs spread out with Luka sitting on top of them, and Dani's long legs draped over Luka.

"See, Mira!" Dani pointed at her show. "That's the kind of outfit you need."

"All that crap looks so old!" Mira rolled her eyes. "It's gross."

"Commercial!" piped up Luka, and Dani hit the back button to a cartoon.

"What is this, Luka? Pokemon?"

Luka leaned forward, chin in his hands. "No way, Pokemon is for babies," he said. "This is Digimon."

"Oh, my bad," Dani leaned back against the couch. As Luka's show played, Dani let her gaze wander around the lair, only to find a distinctive figure in the corner of the room, securely tucked away from the others.

Tanaka stood, watching them from the doorway where he leaned heavily on one shoulder, looking tired but unwilling to stay idle in the lab any longer. He didn't see her watching him – he was looking all around the lair's ceiling for some reason – so Dani took a moment to really study him.

It was hard to say whether or not he was attractive. His features were mostly human, but there was something off about them, like a puzzle left unattended on a low coffee table that had been bumped into too many times. His hair was dark and his skin was light, but his features didn't really look Asian, and she wondered what his mother – who was probably human, right? Dani wasn't sure – had looked like. He was tall and slim like Damon, but the way he moved was completely different.

She quickly decided it wasn't his cat-like eyes or his fangs that gave him away as a mutant. It was his mannerisms.

Every time he looked at something, it was with a strange tick-like motion of his head, and his body always seemed ready for a crouch. Sometimes, he looked like he had trouble keeping still. Other times, like now, he was completely motionless, barely even blinking.

When she'd first seen him during the fight, he'd looked pretty fearsome, with his gear and his mask. Even when he'd tried to snatch her up in the lab, the noises he'd made – the low growl and the hiss, deep in his throat – had freaked her out a bit. But now, looking at him, he really just seemed odd instead of scary.

Damon looked up in that instant and followed Dani's gaze to Tanaka. To her annoyance, Damon stretched up and waved a hand at the stranger. "Hey," he said over the back of the couch. "You want to come watch tv with us?"

Dani had to fight off a snicker when Tanaka's brows furrowed and he looked around, like Damon might be talking to someone else. When he figured out that he wasn't, he approached the couch cautiously before finally taking a seat on the floor next to Damon.

"Commercial!" Dani changed the tv back to her show.

On the floor, Damon took control of the tablet so Tanaka could see, and with a few clicks of the screen, he'd turned on the closed captioning, which caused Tanaka to smile shyly. He made a motion from his mouth with his hand in a sweeping motion.

"No problem," said the twin sincerely.

Dani leaned over the couch and poked Mira's arm. "See, the shape of that dress, that's what you need! I'm taking you prom dress shopping tomorrow." Mira groaned loudly.

"I don't want to go, Dani!"

"You're going to look hot for prom, whether you like it or not!" Dani leaned her elbow against the arm of the couch, eyes on the screen. "Especially since Rodney asked you to go."

Roman jerked on his end of the couch. "Wait, someone actually asked you to go to prom?" Both girls turned to give him their infamous matched glare, something hilariously identical for two such different humans. Well, "humans" was a pretty broad term.

"Shocked much?" Mira folded her arms.

"Commercial!" Luka changed the channel.

"Yeah, actually," Roman snarked with a roll of his eyes. "I mean, come on, Rodney Bishop? That guy is a total tool! You didn't say yes, did you?"

Dani intersected her fingers in the form of a cross. "None of your business, dream killer! Mira can go to prom with who she wants!"

"Not if I kick his ass – "

Damon shifted the tablet better for Tanaka to see. "I'm pretty good at tuning them out," he said, nodding to his cousins. Tanaka smirked and pointed to himself before holding up two fingers. _Me too._

"I don't know if I'm going with Rodney or not, just everyone shut your pie holes!" Mira scowled and fell back onto her beanbag. "Luka's trying to watch Pokemon!"

"Digimon," he corrected without taking his eyes off the screen.

Roman leaned back against the couch with a huff, and Dani rolled her eyes and shot him her dirtiest look before doing the same on the opposite end. When Luka's show was over, he handed the remote to Mira, who instantly changed it to her game.

Then Luka said mildly, "Rodney's little brother is one of the guys who tried to beat me up."

Four pairs of eyes turned to Luka, and only a second passed before – "Okay, Rodney's out. Screw that guy."

"See, I was right!"

"Shut up!"

* * *

Most of the day remained devoted to leisure and laziness, as Spring Break had come upon them at a rather opportune time for the kids. Damon and Roman brought out the old air hockey table and took turns playing Tanaka, who had never played but had crazy fast reflexes.

It was only when the three of them finally ended the game and headed in the direction of the kitchen that a tall, looming shadow suddenly poured over them.

"Agh!" Tanaka back-pedaled at the sudden appearance of Tigerclaw so quickly, he actually fell over.

The massive tiger mutant folded his arms. "Hmph," his whiskers twitched in anger. "The first bit of common sense you've shown in _days."_

"Tigerclaw!" Leonardo appeared with Raphael. "Wait – I didn't tell you how to get to the lair. How did you – "

Tigerclaw scoffed, his one visible eye rolling derisively. "I knew where your lair was twenty years ago, Hamato. Obviously, it has not changed." Leo and Raphael glanced at one another.

"S'got a point," Raph muttered. "Some secret lair."

Without another look to Leo – or the gaping teens who had gathered in the living room – Tigerclaw dropped down the last of the steps and observed the now standing Tanaka with a critical golden eye. The young hybrid's hands jumped up to halt Tigerclaw's advancement, and he began a furious set of explanations before Tigerclaw growled lowly.

"Save it," he said, stepping forward and clamping a hand on Tanaka's shoulder. Next to Tigerclaw, the young bounty hunter looked rather small. "You are in for a _world of punishment_."

Leo stepped forward. "Well, before that happens, we need to talk to both of you." He jerked his head in the direction of the lab. "Something is going on here. We need all the info we can get." He turned without waiting for an answer, gesturing for Roman to join them. They entered the laboratory with Tanaka only barely managing to finally dance out of his father's grip.

Before Leo could speak, Tigerclaw looked to Tanaka again. "Show me your injuries."

Tanaka raised both brows and pointed to his shoulder.

"Don't be a smartass," growled Tigerclaw.

Tanaka's expression shifted into one of mild annoyance before he lifted his shirt and let his father inspect the stitches, which he seemed to find well-done enough. Tanaka dropped his shirt and pointed to Donnie, who appeared with a little more apprehension than his brothers had.

"Ooh, Tigerclaw," he said without much enthusiasm. "How… _nngnhh_ to see you."

Tigerclaw spared Donnie a single glance before someone else caught his eye. "O'Neil," he said in surprise, looking to where April stood at Donnie's desk with her checkbook in hand.

"Oh, hi," she laughed. "I haven't been an O'Neil in a really long time, though." Donnie agreed cheerfully and slipped an arm around her, to which Tigerclaw responded by raising a brow.

He said dryly, "Hm. I suppose persistence does pay off."

Donnie dropped his arm and glared, but Leo and Raphael had a hard time stifling their snickers, even with their raucous fake coughing fits. Tigerclaw looked around the laboratory thoughtfully, ignoring Donnie once more as he addressed Leo.

"Where is your rat master? I can only imagine his headache at having all these children around."

Leo paused before saying politely, "He passed away in his sleep about six months ago."

The tiger looked to him briefly before giving a stiff nod. "Ah, my condolences," he said gruffly. "He was… formidable." Leo smiled a bit and nodded in agreement.

"He certainly was, yeah." The turtle in blue moved around a table and leaned against it, while Raphael hopped onto it on the other side. "So, let's get down to it. What do you know about the robots that attacked Tanaka? And what is he even doing here in the first place?"

Tigerclaw paused only long enough to send a brief glare Tanaka's way before he looked back to Leonardo. "Tanaka was here for a job. For the last several months, I have received offers for a bounty here in New York City. However, I refused it, per our agreement that I do not enter the city." He remained still, but his posture grew stiff with irritation.

"My refusal seemed to do little to deter the benefactor. He offered the same bounty many more times, raising the pay on each. He claimed he was desperate for our services," said the large mutant. "I grew suspicious of him and told him not to contact us again. Unfortunately, Tanaka took it upon himself to accept the offer and travel to New York City, despite the fact that he is not allowed to do jobs on his own."

Michelangelo appeared to the side, having left the restaurant in the hands of Mel and Nobu, who had moved from Japan the previous year and worked with them in the noodle shop.

"Kids," he said with an understanding nod. "Watcha' gonna do?"

Tigerclaw looked to Tanaka with a narrowed stare. "I have some ideas," he growled, to which Tanaka merely blinked and then offered a quick close-lipped smile.

"Do you think it was your target who attacked Tanaka with the robots?" asked Raphael. "Maybe he was trying to keep from getting – whatever you guys do, captured or killed or whatever."

"It is possible," agreed Tigerclaw reluctantly. "Though I have other suspicions."

Mikey tapped his chin. "Maybe it was just random."

At this, Roman stepped forward. "It definitely wasn't random," he said, fighting the urge to balk when Tigerclaw looked directly at him. Dude was scary. "We watched those things fight Tanaka. They knew exactly what kind of weapons he used and how to defeat him." Roman slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I also don't think they were there to kill him."

"What makes you believe that?" asked Leo.

"They had every opportunity to finish him off, but they didn't. And they were willing to kill us," Roman pointed to himself. "But not Tanaka. I think they wanted to capture him. Alive."

To the side, Tanaka stood and gestured to Tigerclaw for a few minutes. The older mutant looked to the others, brows furrowed. "Tanaka agrees," he translated gravely. "He was only in the city for a few hours before they ambushed him."

"Who was the guy trying to get you to come here?" Raphael asked. "Can we track him down and make him talk?"

"Unlikely," Tigerclaw scowled. "We operate within a highly classified network. All of our bounties are entirely anonymous." The group fell into silence for a few moments before Tigerclaw straightened and motioned to Tanaka.

"Get your things. We are leaving."

Leonardo looked up in surprise. "You're just going to leave? Someone attacked your son, Tigerclaw." The two mutants met in a glare.

Tigerclaw snorted. "Which is precisely why I am taking him back home. We are safe in Japan."

"Maybe now," Roman stepped forward, earning a growl from Tigerclaw. "But someone was willing to go through a whole lot of trouble to capture Tanaka here in New York. You don't think they're eventually going to make their way to Japan to find him?"

"They would have a very difficult time in doing so," Tigerclaw sneered. He turned to leave, but Leonardo stopped him by stepping directly in his path.

"Tigerclaw, whoever is behind this is a threat to my family, too. We haven't had any real problems in New York City since … before." He shifted his serious gaze up to Tigerclaw's own. "If you leave now, after everything we've done for you, you're only going to put us _all_ in danger."

Tanaka stood behind Tigerclaw, curious as to his reaction as the tiger mutant wavered for just a moment, his fearsome features curled with irritation. With a glance back at Tanaka, he hissed lowly before giving the briefest of nods. "Three days," he grunted. "I will give you that much time for us to investigate the source of this attack. Then Tanaka and I are returning to Japan."

* * *

 _France, 1995_

She turned a glossy storybook page. "And then Mama Bear said to Little Bear, 'I asked you to do your chores, but I see you are only playing. That is not a good Little Bear,'" she read aloud, before making a motion to turn the page again. However, a heavy orange paw landed on it, and she stopped with a giggle.

"Oops, forgot to show you the picture," she lifted the book from the blanket that separated them from the hay-strewn tent floor so the tiger cub next to her could see. With a pleased grunt, the small tiger looked at the picture and then, when satisfied, he dropped his paw again and resumed his relaxed state next to her. "You like the Little Bear books the best, don't you, Tora?" she asked, flipping the page. "I do, too. Maybe one day, when we're big, we can live in a nice house like Little Bear and his Mama and Papa Bear."

The tiger cub she called Tora responded by letting his soft head fall onto her back as she lay on her stomach, pleased to listen to her read. Unfortunately, the relative peace was quickly shattered by heavy footsteps and drunken laughter, not to mention foul smells that had nothing to do with the poorly-kept animal cages nearby.

"Hello, Papa," said Emily, daring a glance up from her book.

"You and that bloody tiger," the man slurred, looking down at Emily and Tora. "Unnatural, it is."

"Wassit' even doin' out of its cage?" drawled the other, fingers firmly wrapped around a pint of whiskey. "You ain't doin' a very good job of keepin' your girl in line, Paul."

The first man, Emily's papa, spat at the ground. "Ehh, we kep' 'im in the cage with the other tiger for a while, but Old Mac kept beatin' up on 'im," he laughed rudely, nodding in the direction of a cage where a very old tiger paced, one eye heavily scarred beyond sight. "Scrawny, ugly little thing, this cub. But he'll be useful one day, I wager."

Taking a heavy swig from his whiskey, Paul shook his head in disgust. "Can't believe I even took this job," he complained, his words blending together in a mixture of heavy cockney accent and liquor. "But when ya got a whore wife that goes an' runs off, you gotta be the responsible one, eh? Gotta pay for food," he looked to Emily with undisguised anger. "Clothes. _Bloody books."_ He kicked at the storybook and knocked it away from Emily's hands, but the little girl only pulled away and waited until the two men grew bored and wandered off, leaving her alone with the young tiger once more.

She frowned for only a few seconds before leaning over and picking up her book, which she dusted off. "Don't worry, Tora," she told the tiger in a low voice. "One day we'll be big, and we can leave here forever." The tiger purred sympathetically, nudging under her arm with his furry head before they resumed their reading.

"Poor Mac," she murmured at her book, peeking once over her shoulder at the old pacing tiger. "No place for a tiger, here." With a quick snuggle against her companion, she whispered earnestly, "I'll never let that happen to you, Tora."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Geez, I have gotten so behind on my updates. School + working full time is just kicking my ass. Also, I like to sleep once in a while.

Thanks as always to my readers. Even just by taking a peek at my stories, you make my day so much brighter.

* * *

 _Germany, 1998_

The humming of the young girl long preceded her bouncy step, fingers happily prodding at the wrapped candy in her hand. Tonight's show had gone well. All the animals had behaved and no one had fallen, and her papa was almost certain to be in a good mood. Things always went better for Emily when her papa was in a good mood.

Cramming the last bit of candy into her mouth, Emily skipped around the tarot-card reader's tent with every intention of heading back to her own train car once she'd located a certain furry friend. No sooner had she had the thought to call out his name did she spot him, orange and black stripes visible from behind, tail lashing as he sat hunched over something. It was only when she approached closer, an easy smile on her lips, did she realize something was squirming in his paws. Soaked red with blood, the heavy claws ripped another pained squeal from one of the circus' goats. Emily's heart dropped.

"Tora, no!" she exclaimed, rushing up behind him, but when the fierce animal turned, fangs bared, it was not her friend at all.

It was the old one-eyed tiger, Mac.

Eyes wide, her heart in her throat, Emily's blue eyes darted to the animal tent to see the tiger cage ajar, its faulty latch hanging loosely, a trail of blood and carnage following Mac's path from the goat cage to where he stood, maw dripping with scarlet.

"It's alright, Mac…" squeaked Emily, fighting to remain calm as the tiger turned on her with a slow, predatory growl. "Don't be afraid… I'm your friend." She wanted to look around, to call for help, the circus was full of people, surely someone must see her? But she knew the tents were tall, the hour was late and most of the other circus workers were drunk or asleep.

With one last backward step, Emily opened her mouth to scream for help – and Mac pounced.

Emily scrambled, barely escaping the old, abused tiger's vicious attack, a scream tearing from her throat as she turned and ran. The heat of old Mac's breath grazed her elbow and terror seized her limbs, pushing her forward as she darted through a narrow line of tents in an attempt to elude him. The large feline lost his footing for a moment, years of cage-living locking his joints, but he quickly found himself again and leaped after her with a loud snarl. Others had noticed the terrifying chase now, but their only response was to scream and jump out of the way, with no thought for Emily as she ran for her life.

Dashing through the main tent and over the podium, Emily barely rolled out of the way of Mac's swipe, only the slippery podium floor saving her. She hurried back to her feet and ran, screaming in terror as she burst through the opposite side of the tent. Just then, her foot caught a root and she tumbled down, the grass flying at her with horrifying speed as she slammed into the ground.

A split-second was all the time she had to turn on her back, her body frozen with fear as Mac leaped straight for her, but instead of pain, Emily felt only a brush of heavy air as something swept past her and knocked into Mac's heavy weight with a loud, unpleasant thud. She sat up quickly and gasped.

"Tora!" she exclaimed, her fear renewed as she watched the two cats duel in the grass, speed and grass blurring their motions. Mac turned swiftly and bit Tora's shoulder, causing him to cry out loudly, their feline yowls monstrously loud and inhuman.

"What in the bloody hell is going on in here?" Emily's papa staggered to the scene, gun in hand. "Who let the bloody tiger out?"

"Papa, help Tora! Mac is going to kill him!" Emily shouted, panicked as the much younger tiger, grown since he'd come there but not nearly so large as Mac, fought fiercely and struck the old tiger with a sharp claw to the face.

"God damn it!" the man shouted angrily, shoving Emily away. "Can't afford to lose both of them!" With that, he raised his gun and, ignoring Emily's cries, fired into the brawling tigers with the hopes of hitting only one. Emily screamed out Tora's name, because one of the tigers fell over with a gaping gunshot wound, and she could not tell which. For a moment, it seemed neither of them lived. Then, with a pained grunt, the bodies shifted.

Tora dragged himself out from underneath Mac, his body a mosaic of cuts and bites. He managed a few steps before collapsing again. "Tora!" Emily rushed to him, eyes filled with tears. Her papa tried to throw her aside, a whip now in hand.

"This damn stupid tiger! Now we only got one damn tiger for the whole show!" he slurred, raising the whip to strike Tora, but Emily jumped in the way and the whip struck her instead, lashing her hand with a clean, clear crack. She cried out and dropped to her knees, and at last, her papa hesitated in the wake of her pain.

"Fool girl," he said more quietly, looking around uncertainly at the other circus folk who had gathered. "Shouldn'tve jumped in the way!" Emily's only response was to shuffle on her knees to Tora, who continued to suffer quietly.

"Go get the medic to look at ya," said her papa.

Emily shook her head, tear-stained cheeks turning to him. "Treat Tora first."

"I'm not wasting any more damn time on that fool beast! Besides, he won't let vets anywhere near 'im, you know that!"

Emily simply looked away, clutching her bleeding, swollen hand against her chest, her face leaned close to Tora's furry head, which sat matted with blood. After a long moment of silence, her father cursed and shuffled away, gun over his shoulder, leaving Emily curled up on the grass with the injured tiger. Sniffling, she nuzzled his head with her cheek, earning a sympathetic noise.

Tora raised a paw, which he placed on her arm, near her injured hand, and he too had a deep cut there, from Mac's claws. Emily quietly examined their wounds before gently placing his paw on top of her trembling fingers.

"Look, Tora," she whispered with a teary smile. "We match."

* * *

In the stillness of the lair's laboratory, Tigerclaw thoughtfully examined a long, old scar on his right paw.

"Tigerclaw."

Leonardo gestured to Tigerclaw, and they walked together out of the laboratory and into the dojo, where Roman and the other turtles waited. "I think it's time we set up a game plan for the investigation," said Leo. "I know you want to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."

"That is certainly true," said the tiger, now pulled out of his pensive mood, expression dark once more. "I do not care to remain in New York any longer than I must." Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a small black electronic box. "I have my methods of finding information. This device will allow me to hack into any phone or internet signal with ease. If there is any mention of suspicious activity, I will know of it."

"That seems a little unethical," commented Donatello mildly, but Raphael was distracted from commenting by the sight of Tanaka, who was slowly crawling over the floor with painstaking efforts at silence, just behind Tigerclaw, who did not seem to notice.

"Your concerns are not mine," said Tigerclaw flatly. "I did not come here to abide by your rules, turtles. I will do things _my w_ ay." Mikey, too, was now watching Tanaka, who employed all methods of stealth to creep up behind Tigerclaw. "My family was attacked," continued Tigerclaw without a hint of movement. "If I must invade the privacy of some of New York's fine citizens, I am willing to live with that."

Tanaka chose that moment to spring from the ground at Tigerclaw's back, but the motion was instantly arrested by Tigerclaw's large paw on his face, which stopped him in his tracks. Tanaka's arms wind-milled wildly for a moment as he fought to get to Tigerclaw, who's singular reaction was to roll his only visible eye towards the ceiling in annoyance.

"Uh, Tigerclaw, you might want to be careful. He's still a little - " started Donatello, just before Tigerclaw removed his hand and Tanaka fell over to the floor under his own weight with a loud thump.

"… injured," finished the turtle in purple.

Tigerclaw put his device back in his belt. "He'll be fine," he said dryly, turning to his son as the young hybrid clambered to his feet, his eyes momentarily crossed as he regained his balance. "Go gather the tools," ordered Tigerclaw, and Tanaka straightened his shirt before grinning just a bit at him and nodding.

After Tigerclaw's departure, Roman turned to the turtles, his brows furrowed. "I don't like all this technology crap. That's not the way ninjas do things."

"They're not ninjas, Roman," reminded Leo. "I don't like it, either, but I think we can let Tigerclaw do things his way so long as he's not hurting anyone."

Donatello raised a hand, finger pointed. "And to be fair, ninjas use _lots_ of technology. Some of it is just more basic than others. Also, once I built a giant mechanical turtle, so there's that."

* * *

 _Tap. Tap._

After several moments of silence, Will finally leaned forward and said pointedly, "Damon, if you don't know the answer, just say so."

In the spinning desk chair that barely fit in his bedroom, Damon twirled in a slow circle. His room had once just been a storage unit under the staircase of their townhome, but some time in junior high, he'd decided to take it as his bedroom. His mom had immediately turned his former bedroom upstairs into an at-home office.

"No, no! I got it. It's uh," he turned in his chair, eyes anywhere but on Will or the Chemistry book in his lap. "Magnesium?"

Will closed the book and saddled Damon with a glare, even as his lips twitched with amusement. "Damon, you're going to fail if you don't study."

"I am studying!" protested the redhead, but no sooner had he said this than something out of the open door caught his attention. "Oh! My mom's leaving for the grocery store!" He leaped up out of the chair, and in one fluid motion, tugged the Chemistry book from Will's hands and pulled him to his feet for a deep kiss. "Now we can stop pretending to study," said Damon triumphantly.

Will broke the kiss reluctantly. "What? Who said we were pretending?" He poked Damon's chest. "Remember that part about failing?"

His boyfriend replied with a dramatic sigh, arms looping around Will's waist and pulling him close. "Will, do you really want to look back on our lives ten years from now and think – wow, we wasted the best years of our lives studying Chemistry. That's balls."

"That depends," said Will thoughtfully. "Are we looking back on this past from the inside of a box fort under an overpass?" Before Damon could respond, he continued with a glare, "And don't say that sounds cool!"

"I wasn't!" Damon laughed.

"You're pitiful," said Will with a shake of his head, a smile coming to his lips as he lightly tugged Damon closer and they fell back on the bed. "I guess we can take a little break." Damon didn't respond, only dropped down over Will with a satisfied hum. Their lips met again and Will's fingers slipped into the belt loops of Damon's jeans, tugging their bodies close and inhaling sharply at the contact.

"Much better than studying," Damon mumbled, his body more than anxious to respond to any and all contact from Will's. Then his boyfriend reached up and gripped his hip hard, turning him over sharply on the bed until Will was on top.

"Can't say I disagree with that," murmured Will, his dark hand slipping under Damon's shirt and skimming the taut muscle there. It slipped out only to tug at the collar of Damon's shirt so his lips could fall on Damon's neck, earning a particularly pleasing noise from his boyfriend until suddenly his touch on Damon's arm earned a pained wince.

Will stopped instantly, his eyes wide. "Whoa, are you okay? What the – " he tugged at the shirt again, revealing the reddened skin outlining some heavy bandages on Damon's arm. "Baby, what happened to you now?"

 _God damn it,_ thought Damon. Now that damn blaster wound hurt again _and_ his blue jeans were slowly whittling away any hope of sperm production he'd ever once had.

Will sat up, expression laced with concern, his knees still on either side of Damon's hips. "It's nothing," said Damon. "Hurt it in practice the other day."

"How did you manage that?" asked Will, eyebrow raised.

"Mmm," Damon gestured for no reason. "Sliding… into … a base." He tried to draw Will into a kiss again, but his boyfriend thumped him in the stomach. "Ow! What was that for? You already hurt my – uh, sliding wound."

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" asked Will with a frown. "You never tell me about this stuff!"

"Why would I?" Damon rubbed his stomach where Will had thumped him. "It's nothing, really."

"You would want me to tell you if I got injured, Damon."

The redhead paused, taking a rare moment to collect his thoughts before speaking. "Maybe," he conceded. "But I would also trust your judgement enough to know that you'd tell me if something was really, really wrong."

Will huffed at this, but finally he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to Damon's. "Sorry, I just worry about you," he murmured, and Damon snaked his arms around his waist again.

"Don't be sorry. I worry about you, too." He smiled, leaning forward to gently kiss Will on the corner of his mouth.

"Watcha' guys doin?"

Damon jumped up at the sound of a voice at his door, effectively throwing Will off his lap and onto the ground, where he landed with a shriek. "Man, Dani!" Damon exclaimed, annoyed. "I thought you were Mom!"

His twin sauntered through the door. "Nope, just little ole' me."

"I am injured," called Will from the floor. Damon looked down at him.

"Really?"

"No," Will sat up. "But do you see how easy that was?"

Rolling his eyes, Damon extended a hand and helped Will to his feet. "Dani, we're trying to study," said Damon pointedly, to which Dani responded by turning a keen look to the Chemistry book fallen to the floor.

"Didn't seem like it to me," she taunted.

Damon picked up the book and tucked it under his arm in a vain effort to look studious. "Well, I'm not surprised you don't know what studying looks like. Now, if you will excuse us – "

"Is that a _cat?_ " exclaimed Dani, suddenly spotting the orange tabby, which had been curled up on Damon's dresser before but was now casually strutting across his desk, knocking over nearly everything in its path with unhindered complacency.

"Oh, yeah," Will grinned. "We adopted a cat together! Carl mostly stays at my house for now, but when Damon and I go to college, he'll move in with us at our apartment." He patted the cat's head.

"You named your cat Carl?" questioned Dani.

"We've been on a big Aqua Teen Hunger Force kick lately," explained Will.

"Personally," Damon gestured to himself, " _I_ named him after that kid on The Walking Dead." He leaned back on the bed and yelled across the room, "You know, the one who's _never where he's supposed to be!"_

Carl the cat settled directly one of Damon's shirts and licked a fat leg.

"Well," Will stood and picked up a small cat carrier. "Carl and I should get going." At Damon's protests, he smiled and kissed him briefly. "I'll see you tomorrow, baby."

After gathering up the cat and saying good-bye to Dani, he embraced Damon one more time before disappearing out of the door. After he was gone, Dani lingered, and it didn't take Damon long to spot the look of unhappiness on her pretty features. Falling back onto his bed, he tugged at her elbow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she muttered instantly, her features drawn. Damon patiently drew her down to sit him and raised a brow. As he knew she would, Dani took little time to break her defenses for him. And, as usual, her shift of mood was drastic and instantaneous.

She burst into tears. "You guys are like – a stupid old married couple! And you – you're going to get married and move away. You're going to leave me!"

Damon shifted towards her on the bed and took her hand in his. "What? Dani, no. We're not going anywhere – "

"You're already planning for college! And you adopted a cat together!"

"Well, yeah," said Damon. "But really, I just wanted a cat, but I didn't want the responsibility of taking care of one, so I pawned it off on Will and told him we were sharing." He tapped his temple. "It was all part of an elaborate plan."

Dani didn't seem comforted by this, and instead her sobbing grew harder, so much so that Damon took her face in his hands and brushed away her tears before counseling her. "Remember Dani, deep breaths. Breathe in. Come on, pay attention, deep breaths."

A long, shuddering inhale followed his command, a practice Dani followed in her worst moments of panic, the kind that made her chest hurt and her body ache with fear in sudden bouts of dread that seized her from time to time. Some days, it was easy enough to talk herself out of. Others, it hit her like a freight train.

"Daniella, listen to me," said Damon softly. "I am not going anywhere. And I'm sure not going anywhere because of Will. His family's real estate business is here in New York. He's not leaving either, remember? We talked about this."

Dani nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks, but Damon brushed them away and offered her a comforting smile. "Dani, Will and I are going to hang out without you sometimes, okay? We're a couple, that's what couples do. But I'm not leaving you behind. And who knows?" He shrugged, pressing back some of her damp hair near the corner of her eyes. "Maybe one day, you'll be the one who picks up and leaves. Maybe start a new life somewhere."

"Wouldn't you miss me?" she asked, blue eyes wide.

He squeezed her hand. "Of course I would. But missing you wouldn't take the place of loving you." At this, Dani at last seemed to relax, her head falling to lay against his chest for a long moment until her trembling finally subsided.

Damon whispered into her hair, "You're going to be fine. Even if one day you have to do without me, you're strong enough to make it." After holding her for a few minutes more, Damon stood and dragged her into the kitchen.

"Come on, let's eat all the marshmallows Dad saves for his hot chocolate so he can yell at us for eating his marshmallows."

* * *

Two figures waited, dressed in black and armed to the teeth. This was the image that greeted the middle-aged man as he approached, his own sides flanked by heavy guns, a pair of sunglasses perched atop his dark head.

"Never thought I'd hear from you again," said the man, looking up to where the two shadows moved.

Tigerclaw emerged first, with Tanaka at his side, silent and observant. "Hun," he greeted darkly. "I am surprised you are still alive."

"I could say the same for you," said Hun, rounding the stack of crates sitting on the warehouse docks. "I heard those mutant turtles did you and all the others in."

"Not quite," said Tigerclaw. "However, I can see that such an event was quite advantageous for you. Every source I had in this city twenty years ago is either dead or in your pocket." Hun snorted, hand slipping into his pockets, dark eyes turning to Tanaka thoughtfully.

"Yes, well, without Shredder here, someone had to keep the scum in this city in order. The Purple Dragons got turned inside out by the police not long after Shredder was killed. I had to regroup." He paused in front of Tanaka, who observed him coolly.

"Not talkative, your partner?" mentioned Hun off-handedly.

Tanaka's response was to tilt his head, eyes glinting, and the simple motion was enough to disturb Hun into moving on without questioning him further. "I need information," continued Tigerclaw with a soft growl. "Someone attacked us upon entering the city. A group of droids, very well armed. Their model was unlike anything I've seen before."

"No idea," said Hun lightly.

The mutant tiger advanced with a single, menacing step. "I refuse to believe that."

Hun turned to face him, eyebrows lifted. "See here, Tigerclaw. Things have been normal, run of the mill since Shredder went down. No mutants, no aliens, no mad scientists. Just your average bust 'em up, racketeering, gang-related crimes. I don't know anything about some damn droids."

He paused, his eyes moving out over the dark water churning just off the pier. "Although…"

Tigerclaw's lip curled in a snarl. "Tell me what you know, Hun. If I have to find you again, you will regret it." The man looked to him, his chin lifted arrogantly.

"I'm the most important crime lord in this city now. You really think I came here alone?"

Tigerclaw moved forward, his single visible eye turning sharply over Hun's features. "Do you really think I care?" he growled lowly. At that moment, Tanaka moved behind Hun and wrapped a clawed hand around his throat, pressing a blaster gun to his temple in a lightning fast flash of movement. Hun's eyes widened minutely.

"Will your hired guns move quickly enough to save you, I wonder?" asked Tigerclaw as he stepped close. "What… do…. You…. Know?"

Hun shifted, a heavy scowl on his features as he gauged Tanaka's strength and decided against making a move. "Not much, just some rumors." Another shift and a pained grunt from Tanaka's grip on his throat. "Someone's been movin' around in the northern subway tunnels. Been seeing a lot of traffic out that way. But no reports of robots or anything." Tigerclaw studied Hun for a long moment before looking to Tanaka with a short nod.

He released Hun but kept his gun raised, and the man quickly adjusted his collar with a glare. "I ought to have my boys blow you away," he sneered, but as soon as he turned to Tanaka to say this, Tigerclaw was gone, and when he looked back, Tanaka had disappeared as well.

* * *

The day dawned bright and sunny, the perfect atmosphere for a grand day of New York City shopping.

Damon and Will sat at an outdoor café table, conveniently located next to the dress shop where Dani had dragged Mira just twenty minutes before. Sipping at their drinks, they chatted as they waited for the inevitable. And then there it was.

"FREE ME!" That would be Mira.

"A SPORTS BRA IS NOT A REAL BRA, MIRA!" And there's Dani.

The frantic shout of a store employee preceded a crashing noise, presumably a dress rack, and seconds later, Mira ran screaming from the door and fled across the street, disappearing around the corner as Dani rushed out of the door with a dress still in hand.

"But this one is your color!" she shrieked, before huffing and tossing the dress back inside to the frazzled store employee. Then she marched over to Damon and Will, who watched with vague amusement. "I swear, that girl is allergic to style."

"You two are truly fascinating creatures," commented Will mildly. "Better luck next time, Dani." He straightened in his seat and checked his phone. "Come on, baby," he said to Damon. "Our movie starts in fifteen minutes."

Dani pouted, her arms crossed. "Mira ran away and you two are going to a movie? What am I supposed to do?" Damon looked to her with a tender smile.

"Dani, remember what we talked about?"

With a heavy sigh, Dani pursed her lips and set her jaw. "Fine," she said lightly, turning away from their table and marching off. As she left, she knocked over a drink on every café table she passed, ignoring the angry shouts from the other café patrons.

Damon and Will both buried their faces in their hands. "One small step," whispered Damon with a sheepish grin.

* * *

 _England, 2000_

The two men grunted as they lifted the heavy box of supplies out of the way, and the younger of the two paused for a moment to catch his breath. As he looked out over the tent, something he saw made he stop and stare. "What in the hell?"

Emily's papa looked up and rolled his eyes. "Don't even bloody ask."

"Ask about what?" the other man said sarcastically. "The tiger you let run loose or the fact that it's playing checkers?"

Together they looked across the tent to where a young girl sat perched on a box, eyes intently scanning the playing board in front of her. Opposite of her sat a tiger, tail twitching as he, too, looked over the board. Emily reached forward and moved her piece forward. "King me!" she declared with a beaming smile.

The tiger looked to her, his whiskers twitching. "Oh come now, Tora," said Emily, wiggling a finger at him. "Play fair." With a soft grunt, the tiger reached forward with a paw and pushed one of her old pieces at her, which Emily happily took and placed on top of her other one. "Your turn!"

As the two men watched, the tiger studied the game board for a long moment. Then he reached forward with a paw, edging a black checkers piece around two of Emily's. Rather than waiting for Emily to move her "jumped" pieces, he knocked them off with board with a pleased grunt.

"Oh, Tora!" scolded Emily. "Was that really necessary? You are such a poor sport!"

She jumped up to gather the pieces off the floor, completely missing the tiger's eyeroll. The man who'd been talking to Emily's papa approached quietly from behind, his eyes drifting to the edge of her skirt even as she bent over to collect the pieces.

His view was quickly cut short by the appearance of the tiger, who trotted in his way and snarled softly. He wisely stepped back, his eyes moving to Emily's face as she straightened with a frown. "Ah, Emily," said the man, Rick. He was one of her father's … friends. "Yer' tiger's grown a lot."

"Yes," Emily smiled politely, though it wavered when the man eyed her up and down with definite purpose.

"You've grown, too. How are are yeh now?" he asked, keeping one eye on the lingering tiger.

"Twelve," replied Emily.

The man, Rick, smirked and shifted closer. "Almost a woman," he commented lightly. Emily blinked, unsure of what to say, so she inclined her head towards him.

"Yes, well, I should get going. I have some homework to do." She gathered up the pieces of their board game quickly, but Rick followed her.

"I can help, if you want. I'm good with the books," he stood close behind her. Emily hugged her game close to her chest and edged around him.

"Oh, no thank you, I've got a tutor." She touched Tora's head as the tiger looked to the man, knowing eyes making contact with his in such a distinct and purposeful way as to alarm the man into taking a step back so Emily could leave. The odd pair shuffled out of the tent, but Tora paused at the entrance to look back at the man one more time.

Rick looked away. "Weird beast," he commented to Emily's papa.

"Eh, it does whatever Emily tells it to do," said her papa. "Now get back to work!"


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Wow, where did all my reviewers and readers go? I hope someone out there is still enjoying the story.

Either way, I have to tell it! Too much going on with these kids not to at least write it down. Seriously, though. Sad feels.

* * *

"What is this?"

Aniyah's edged tone swiftly caught the attention of the two males standing in the kitchen with her. "Uh," Roman lifted a finger and pointed. "I think it's a motorcycle magazine."

His mother turned the glossy magazine in her hand and raised a slim black brow. "Ah, yes. I can almost see the motorcyles… all the way in the back… " she squinted at the cover. "...behind those grease-covered women in bikinis." Roman shrugged and looked at Raphael.

"I told you, Dad! Mom doesn't like that kind of stuff in the house."

Raphael snorted. "What? That's not mine, you little – " He caught Aniyah's disapproving glare and waved his large green arms. "Oh, what the hell, Aniyah! You know that's not mine!" He said with an incredulous laugh. "This punk ass right here – "

"Well, it's certainly not _mine_!" Roman pressed a hand to himself, expression aghast. "I would never bring that kind of smut into your house, Mom."

Raphael raised a menacing fist. "You are lyin' outta your teeth! I ought to knock you right in the head!"

"See? That is exactly the type of behavior I'd expect from someone who reads dirty magazines," Roman said matter of factly, barely containing a grin.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud – "

Finally, Aniyah waved an arm to stop them both. "I don't care whose it is," she declared. "Because it's going in the garbage."

She dropped it in the bin with a thud, just in time for Roman to protest loudly. "Hey, I paid twenty bucks for that!"

Silence filled the kitchen for a long moment before it was suddenly broken by Raphael's loud, gasping laughter as he doubled over at the look on Aniyah's face, which settled into a sinister glare in the direction of Roman's sheepish grin. "I mean, uh," he edged away from the counter carefully.

Someone knocked at the front door.

"I've got it!" He bolted away, snatching open the door just in time for Mira to fall inside with a dramatic gasp. She collapsed straight to the floor, and Aniyah rushed to her side only to see the teenage girl sputter just once before sticking out her tongue. It flopped to the side while Mira crossed her eyes.

"Dress-shopping…" she gasped, and Aniyah tossed up her hands in agitation. "… Killed me… I'm dead… "

"Oh, for god's sake, Mira!" Aniyah folded her arms with a poorly stifled laugh, while Roman and Raphael laughed all the harder. "I thought something was really wrong! You're all insane." She stepped over Mira, who sat up with a snicker.

"Come on, Rome!" She jumped up. "I want to go do something fun to make me forget all that dress crap. Oh!" she held up both hands excitedly. "Let's go look at that place in town where Tanaka got attacked! Maybe we can find some clues."

Roman grabbed his motorcycle keys. "Let's do it! Bye Mom, Later Dad!" The two teens rushed out with a slam of the door. Raphael was still wiping tears of later from his eyes ten minutes later.

"What are you going to do without that boy when he moves out?" Aniyah questioned with a smirk, to which Raphael shook his head.

"No idea," he admitted with a rueful smile.

* * *

By the time Daniella reached the lair, her mood had not improved. She sauntered past the various beings in the living room and into the kitchen, where Donatello stood at the counter, carefully inspecting the ingredients on the back of a cereal box label.

"Dad," Dani sank on to a stool and pursed her lips in a pout. "Damy is off with his dumb boyfriend."

Donnie glanced up. "Aw, sweetie. He's happy with Will. You shouldn't begrudge him that." He set the cereal aside. He needed to eat, but he doubted something that was 80% sugar would do him any favors. A problem that was quickly rectified when Dani reached in her purse, pout still in place, and plopped a take-out box in front of him.

"Ooh, tacos! Thank you, honey." Dani always remembered to grab him food, especially when he was super busy. For some reason, she didn't like to tell people about her small acts of kindness. He'd questioned her on it once, and she'd simply responded that she liked to keep people's expectations of her as low as possible.

"Why don't you go hang out with Tigerclaw's son? He and his father just woke up, I think," suggested Donnie. "They could probably use your help with their research." Dani's expression grew even more annoyed.

"Why would I do that? Dad, Tigerclaw was like, your enemy and stuff. Plus, his kid is freaking weird. I mean, look at him." They turned in unison to look into the living room, where the young hybrid in question sat fully-crouched on the back of an armchair, eyes on a slowly revolving ceiling fan.

Dani turned a pointed look back to Donatello. "He even makes Mira look cool!"

Donnie sighed. "Dani, I think you might be judging Tanaka a little harshly. I'm pretty sure he didn't grow up around other kids." He took an overly large bite of his taco. "And Tigerclaw isn't exactly _sociable,"_ he managed after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Well, neither did you guys, and you didn't turn out _total_ weirdos," Dani pointed out, to which Donnie raised a brow ridge.

"Thanks, sweetie," he said dryly.

Dani put her chin in her manicured hands. "Besides, I don't see why we should even be nice to them. They're not on our side. They're just here to figure out who's trying to get them."

Donnie finished his food and threw away the box, coming back to where Dani sat on her stool. "Daniella, Leo and Tigerclaw came to an agreement, and it is our duty to treat them as guests in our home," he said firmly. Dani huffed and waved a hand.

"So, what, you still just do whatever Uncle Leo tells you to do?" she snapped.

Donnie's hand landed on the counter with a loud thump. "Yes!" he told her sharply, making her jump on her stool. Her eyes immediately turned down to her lap, knowing she'd stepped over the line.

"Leonardo is the leader of our clan," Donnie continued more calmly, but no less serious. "And your mother and I are the leaders of you and Damon. That means when we tell you to do something, we expect you to do it. Do you understand?"

A moment passed before Dani nodded, a rare look of shame on her features. Sliding out of her chair, she sidled up to Donnie with her head low. "Don't you do your pitiful little look," Donnie warned her, all bite gone from his tone, his heart already melting to his daughter's doe eyes as she pushed her way into his arms and leaned into his plastron.

He hugged her with a soft sigh, one green hand lifted to pet her red hair, so like her mother's. "You've got to let go of a little of that anger and apprehension you have with people," he told her gently. "You put more energy into pushing people away and assuming the worst than anyone I've ever met. Give others a chance, sweetie."

She huffed quietly in response. "What's the point?" she mumbled against his plastron, her tall body curled into his. "Everyone is dumb and stupid. And it's not like I can really let them get to know me." She shrugged her chin shoulders, her face hidden.

"Why not?" asked Donnie, brushing her hair back from her freckled face.

Dani shifted her eyes up to his face. "Because we can't risk someone finding out about you and your brothers. It's not worth it. Something bad could happen to you." She frowned deeply. "And if someone doesn't know you, and Uncle Mikey, and Uncle Raph and Uncle Leo, then there's no way they can know me. Ya know?"

Surprise spread of Donnie's features. His first reaction was guilt – of _course_ part of Dani's issues stemmed from her fear of others finding out about the turtles. Out of all of the children, she was easily the most anxious. Years of counseling her through crowds, sleepless nights and sudden, unfounded fears had taught Donnie and April that. But it so rarely manifested in any obvious kind of way, and when it did, Dani was usually quick to squash it, particularly if there were others around.

But with just the two of them in the kitchen, and Damon so often absent with Will, Daniella's fears pressed hard at the surface of her normally controlled features.

His other instinctive reaction was deep affection. Dani's knee-jerk reaction to her anxiety was withering sarcasm and an often insulting, derogatory wit, and she'd become so good at it over the years it was sometimes difficult for Donnie to remember why she acted that way. Her mask was the most familiar thing about her. Which was a shame, thought Donnie as he stroked her head. There was so much more to her than that.

Dani pulled away and her features smoothly reverted back to their normal narrowed state.

"Anyway, I guess I'll go talk to that freaky guy," she said in her most unaffected tones, arms folded over her multi-colored maxi dress. With a flip of her hair over one shoulder, she turned and left the kitchen before Donnie could say another word.

In the lair, Tigerclaw's eyes roamed a screen of data on a very high-tech laptop in front of him. Tanaka now sat across from him, in his own chair with his personal computer in his lap. His long legs stretched across the empty space and rested on the end of the couch.

"Review those files I sent you," Tigerclaw told him. "Hun said there has been activity in the northern subway tunnels. I want a report on all the maintenance activities there before we head out after dark. We need to know what to expect when we go down there."

Tanaka flashed him a thumb's up before turning back to his screen, which was turned away from Tigerclaw. As Dani slyly ducked around the chair, she saw Tanaka was actually playing an Atari simulator, rather than looking at the files Tigerclaw had sent him.

With a wily smirk, Dani sauntered up behind Tanaka and reached over his shoulder, clicking a button on his keyboard. The pixelated spaceship on the screen blew up, and Tanaka tossed his arms up in the air incredulously before turning to look over his shoulder at her, cat-like eyes wide with surprise.

"Wow, that is some serious work you have going on there," Dani said haughtily, moving to sit on the edge of the arm chair as Tanaka watched her cautiously. At her words, he reached up to his laptop and closed it carefully, chancing only one wary glance at Tigerclaw, who now stood away from them, out of hearing distance.

"Well!" Dani folded her slim legs at the knee. "Since you're already procrastinating, why not go into the city with me? I mean, it's gotta be more useful than whatever that was." The strange looking young man blinked at her in surprise. He pointed up with a questioning look.

"Yeah," Dani nodded. "Up there. You know. In New York City? You should get an idea of the layout and stuff. Couldn't hurt."

Tanaka eyed her for a moment before leaning over in the chair to peer at Tigerclaw, who was now talking with Donnie. He raised a brow at Dani, who rolled her eyes and stood. "Oh, come on. You're already in trouble, right?" She flashed him a mischievous smile.

"Why not make the most of it?"

* * *

"Me and Dad already checked this area out once," Roman commented as he and Mira rounded the corner. "By the time we got back, all the droids were gone. Even the broken ones."

Mira ducked around a street light and turned into the alley. "Which means whoever sent them was nearby… and paying attention," she noted, and Roman nodded in agreement. They came to the clearing and looked around. It looked like a dead-end, with a square space of empty gravel packed between some older buildings, as well as a single dumpster and some garbage cans.

"There's got to be something here. Some kind of clue," Mira poked around, climbing up on the dumpster to peer behind it. Roman did the same, but he kept turning to look at her, obviously distracted.

"So, didn't find a dress with Dani today?"

Mira snorted. "No, duh. I hate that crap. I don't know why I let her talk me into it." She jumped down from the dumpster and adjusted her backwards ballcap.

"Got a date?" inquired Roman casually as he looked around. Mira shrugged.

"Maybe. Not that guy, though. The one who's brother attacked Luka. I told that dude to hit the road." She laughed. "Didn't matter. He had like, three other girls lined up. Whatever, they can be his little prom night mistake. I don't care." Silence floated between them for a moment. "You finally narrow down all your potential dates?" Her tone was a little more biting than she'd meant it to be, but oh well.

Roman hummed thoughtfully, "I might have one. Or two." He snickered at Mira's gagging response.

"You're gross."

"You're dumb."

"You're a jackass."

"Yeah, well, you're short," Roman stopped suddenly and crouched, peering closely at something on the ground. "Hey, look at this." His fingers brushed the gritty asphalt and smoothed over some dark marks. They brushed against the brick wall. "What building is this on the other side?" They both looked up the tall set of graffiti-covered brick.

Mira said, "No idea." Together, they poked around further until Mira's hand brushed something near the bottom. Something beeped in the distance, and before either of them knew what was happening, the ground opened underneath them. "What the – "

The teens shrieked in unison as they plunged into darkness.

* * *

It took twenty minutes of expert-level sneaking to get out of the lair, but finally, Dani stood in front of the illustrious Chinatown street that sat atop the lair. And it only smelled half as bad as the sewers.

Realizing she stood alone, Dani turned full-circle until she spotted Tanaka, who had halted at the top of the sewer lid, hunched awkwardly in the shadows. His expression said quite clearly what he thought of the busy New York City street, which was bustling under the mid-afternoon sun.

"You coming?" asked Dani, trying not to sound annoyed. Like it mattered. He couldn't hear her, and her body language spoke volumes. Her irritation softened a little when Tanaka gestured at the street and then motioned to his eyes, which nearly glowed in the semi-darkness of the alley way. Dani's lips quirked a little and she stepped up to him.

"Dude, you are _not_ the weirdest looking guy in New York, okay? Hell, you're probably not even the weirdest looking guy on this street." Tanaka looked over her head at the busy walkway and remained where he was, hands in the pockets of his borrowed jeans. He had his own clothes, but they didn't exactly look civilian, so he'd borrowed some from Damon.

When he still seemed reluctant to move, Dani finally took pity on him and reached in her purse, pulling out a pair of dark Aviator sunglasses. With a quick step forward, she unfolded the glasses and carefully slid them onto his face, effectively hiding his cat-like eyes. Tanaka tilted his head curiously, reaching up to touch the glasses. Then, like a switch, he smiled, revealing fanged teeth.

She couldn't resist a small giggle. "See? Totally normal guy. Let's go."

Together, they stepped into the street and Tanaka tilted his head up at the warm sun, pausing for a moment to enjoy it before Dani led him forth. She told him about a few points of interest before she realized he wasn't watching her – which meant he also didn't know what she was saying. "Oops," she rounded in front of him and walked backwards so he could see her lips, which – for whatever reason – made him smile again.

He signed something to her she didn't understand, but when she almost stumbled, she realized he was probably telling her to be careful. "I've got this!" she declared, whirling skillfully around other people on the sidewalk with a click of her heels. "Let's go to the pier, I'm starving."

* * *

 _Ow._

Roman pushed himself up from the ground with a groan. Ah, hell. Where w _ere_ they? It was pitch black down here. "Mira!" he called out, his hands jumping out to find her right next to him. She grunted when he stumbled over her.

"Get off of me, jeez!"

He rolled his eyes in the darkness. "What the hell happened? Did we fall into the sewer?"

"I don't know," Mira lifted her phone screen to brighten up the space, and Roman did the same, eyes taking in the dark room. "Whoa." They stood at a crossroad of tunnels, three others branching out from where they stood. They seemed to be level with the sewers, but these were different. Pathways, not the usual subway systems or drainage areas. "Don't think these were built by the city," she remarked.

"What should we do?" she asked, and Roman paused before scanning the ground. The same markings he'd seen above ground were nowhere to be found.

"I guess we just try one," he said with a shrug. "It's got to go back up to the surface somewhere." They moved away from the room and down the center tunnel, which dripped in the distance with unseen moisture. The tunnels looked old, and the path they took didn't look like it had been travelled in a long time. "Stay close to me," he told her, which earned him an eye roll.

"Thanks dad," muttered Mira.

Roman ignored her jab and moved on. Eventually, they came to a dead end piled with trash and scraps. To the left of the dead end was a single door with an electric lock, but it had been long ago been broken by some kind of brute force. "Weird." Roman looked it over before he turned to the door, entering first. It was a long, metal corridor, one which turned into narrow steps that led upwards. He took that as a good sign. Up was the surface, after all.

However, when they came to the next level, it wasn't the surface he saw. It was some kind of facility, long abandoned. Yet more locks were broken or aged out of usefulness, so they pushed through and came to a carpeted hallway.

"Roman, check this out," Mira pressed open a door to a dim room cast in shadows. "It's a dojo."

The room had once been very nice and well-equipped, Roman thought. Now, it was an echo of its former self. A weapons rack sat overturned, broken pieces of splintered wood and old metal adding to the inch of dust that layered everything in the room. A large mat, stained suspiciously in many corners, centered the room.

They left and moved further down the hallway, only to find yet another winding staircase that led up, and yet not to the surface.

Instead, it was a laboratory.

"Creepy," Mira commented, and Roman couldn't help but agree with her. Glass crunched underfoot and screens on the ceiling, dark and motionless, reflected their movement in eerie mockery. The light from their cellphones seemed to catch every monitor and beaker, much of which was cracked or shattered. Roman paused next to a desk covered with printouts and peered down at the floor, where a strange hole burned into the laminate. He stopped down to a small piece of melted plastic, something like an ID badge.

 _-ckman,_ read the remaining letters.

He let it fall back to the floor, a frown deep on his features. Mira suggested they move on, and they did, daring to move further up the staircase. It led them to a strange room with tall ceilings, and after pushing through a set of double doors, Roman realized they were finally on surface level.

Late afternoon sunlight pushed through the dust on the stained-glass windows, and Mira moved to them and stood on her tiptoes to peer out. They were in a building surrounded by fencing and warning signs, all of which kept passerby from entering into the debris of the crumbling, aged building.

Inside the massive room, Roman paused at the door, his eyes on the scattered bits of bone and dust in front of him. Stains that could only have once been blood smeared the floor, and at the forefront of the room, on a set of steps, sat a large, dust-covered chair.

To the side, broken glass, stained with an old, muddied scarlet showered the floor near a peculiar skeleton, half-buried under the debris from the fallen wall and missing its head. Another peculiar skeleton lay nearby, and Roman paused near it and reached down to pick up something he quickly recognized as a hockey puck. The two inhuman sets of bones, strange as they were, looked only half as haunting as the human one nearby.

Mira reached over where she stood at the center of the room and picked up a large bladed gauntlet. "Man, this looks lethal, dude! Look!" she slid it on and waved it at Roman. It was only then that she noticed the skeletal arm still hanging from the edge. "Argh!" She dropped it with a clatter. "Gnarly, dude. What is this place, a crime scene?"

Something strange and uncomfortable welled in Roman's chest. "We should get out of here," he said, gesturing to Mira, who studied his worried features for a moment before joining him.

They climbed out of a broken stained-glass window bearing the image of the crucifixion and headed back home.

* * *

"Thanks," Dani accepted the food from the vendor and turned with Tanaka, who peered from behind the safety of Dani's sunglasses, anxious to take in every small sight around him. The pier was always full of people, but the daylight was waning and the crowds thinned as they found some seats on the docks. Carnival rides that ran all year long slowly began to twinkle with light all around them.

"They're cheese fries," Dani explained to Tanaka, who lifted his sunglasses to eye the food curiously. "Try them." She offered him one, and he accepted it, popping it into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully before he swallowed it. Then he made a noise she'd never heard him make before, and it took her a moment to realize it was laughter. He'd never heard himself laugh, so the noise was a little off, but the scratchy chuckle was kind of cute.

He gave her a thumb's up to show his pleasure and she giggled, shifting next to him to share her food, which he happily took in. She made certain to turn to face him to speak, but she careful not to do it with food in her mouth. Gross.

"You and your dad are like, bounty hunters, right?" she asked. At his nod, she waved a French fry in a circle. "So does that mean you like, round up bad guys who skipped out on bail and turn them over to the police for arrest?"

Tanaka paused mid-chew and raised a brow at her before slowly shaking his head. Then he drew a quick line over his own throat.

Realization dawned on her. "Oh," she squeaked, looking back to her food. They sat without talking as they finished the fries and Dani dumped it in a garbage can before leading Tanaka on a stroll through the pier's games and vendors. "What does your mom think about your job?" she asked suddenly, before realizing she'd never heard anything about his mother.

Tanaka paused, his hands moving up to the sunglasses, which he removed as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. She thought he might be angry with her, because for a moment, he simply looked away. Then his lips quirked at a small smile as he pulled the small notebook from his back pocket.

 _She died when I was young,_ he wrote.

Dani blanched inwardly. "I'm sorry," she said, but Tanaka shook his head with a gracious motion of his hands. He didn't seem too ill at ease, so Dani asked curiously, "Do you remember her?"

Tanaka seemed to think about this. _I remember the way she made me feel,_ he wrote on the notepad.

This brought a smile to Dani's face. "Was she Japanese?" she asked, unable to help herself. She couldn't figure out what kind of person father a child with Tigerclaw. It just seemed so odd. And okay, maybe that seemed a little hypocritical coming from someone like Dani, but Tigerclaw was so strange. And ferocious.

Tanaka shook his head at her question, and rather than looking sad, he seemed grateful to tell Dani about her. He pointed at Dani in response to her inquiry.

"She was white?" Dani questioned, and when he nodded, she touched her own hair. "Was she redheaded like me?" Tanaka gave his strange chuckle again and shook his head. He held up a finger for her to wait before he pulled something like a metal wallet out of his pocket. From that, he drew out a small, aged photo.

The woman in the photo was not at all what Dani had expected. She had a beaming smile and rosy cheeks, blond curls framing her young face. A baby boy, perhaps one or two years old and sporting a mop of messy black hair sat in her lap, looking away from the camera.

"Wow, she was beautiful," said Dani earnestly, studying the picture before holding it up next to Tanaka's face and tilting her head. "You know, at first glance, you two don't really look alike. But I think I can see it now," she teased, and Tanaka smiled before taking back the picture, which he replaced tenderly in his wallet.

Now lost in her thoughtful reflection on the photo, Dani stepped away and jumped onto the edge of the dock's railing. Her practiced steps kept her perfectly steady, the result of years of ninjustu training. She liked to do something like this every once in a while with her acquaintances at school, jumping from railing to railing to watch them instantly panic at her daring steps. Gymnastics, she'd told them.

But when she looked up from the railing now, she only saw Tanaka, who was matching her step for step on the other side of the pier, each of his movements just as poised and practiced as hers. In fact, his grace was so smooth and effortless, Dani instantly felt the need to out-do him.

She exchanged a quick grin with him before hopping forward and catching the next railing, and he did the same, his now visible eyes perfectly receptive to her challenge. A laugh bubbled in her throat unbidden and she hurried forward, and the two of them leaped and scurried around the railings, startling anyone who passed them by when they cleared whole walkways.

It was like one big game of _The Floor is Lava._

The pair put on an extra burst of speed and bound past tents and vendors, some of which yelled angrily at them when they ducked into the Employees Only areas to speed-run the lines of wire hanging from booth to booth, laughing and – in Dani's case – shrieking when security yelled at them and tried to chase them down. As it turned out, Tanaka was just as skilled as Dani at disappearing into the shadows, and together they looped, circled and evaded the security in the maze of carnival fun, only barely escaping capture more than once.

Finally, they ended up back at the games station, breathless with laughter and relatively safe from discovery. "Damn, if I get escorted home again by dudes in uniform, my mom and dad are going to kill me," Dani panted with a grin. Tanaka pointed to her incredulously and then gestured to himself before mimicking Tigerclaw by puffing out his chest and baring his teeth.

This brought on a whole new round of giggles from Dani, and they quickly moved away to avoid drawing more attention. They rested at last near a dart-throwing booth, and Dani moved over to it, thoughtfully appraising the silly prizes. "I'm going to try it," she announced to Tanaka, who gestured for her to go on. She paid her dollar and picked up one dart at a time. Her attempts were laughable at best.

"I try to throw everything like a tessen," she groaned, making a face at Tanaka's laughter. Her throws _were_ pretty bad. "Let's see you do better!"

She plopped the three darts into Tanaka's hand, and he looked to her thoughtfully before his lips quirked. He turned to the board of balloons and rolled the three darts in his palm. Then, in a flash of movement, he threw all three at once and hit a perfect triangle of balloons with a loud _pop!_

Dani blinked in disbelief. "What the – " She laughed. "Wow. Okay, so … How in the hell are you so good at darts?" she asked. Tanaka pulled out his writing pad again and scribbled something.

 _It's a game you can play alone,_ it said.

He picked out a prize while Dani stared at the text, her laughter falling away as she looked it over again and again. When he turned back to her, she managed another smile, but something in her chest felt strangely tight. Then he reached up and carefully placed a delightful plastic tiara on Dani's head, his prize from the vendor.

Dani reached up and touched the tiara, her lips curling into a smile, one which Tanaka shared. She cleared her throat a bit, a flush jumping onto her cheeks. "You already get me so well," she teased, trying to look the same as always. She handed back his notebook and they turned away to leave the pier. Night had fallen in earnest by now, and they stepped in and out of streetlights as they walked back to the lair.

"I hope you had some fun," she said at last, once they were on the streets again. Tanaka nodded earnestly and gestured to her, a motion with started with his flat palm against his chin and then pushed out, almost like blowing someone a kiss. At Dani's curious look, he wrote on the paper – _Thank you._

"Oh!" she mimicked the gesture. "That means 'thank you'?"

He nodded, obviously sharing her delight. Then he wrote again. _Do you want to learn?_

Dani bit her lip to hide a smile. "Sure," she said with a nod. And so, for the rest of the walk back to the lair, Tanaka pointed out whatever he could see and showed her the signs for it, everything from the trees in the park to the cars in the streets. Dani imitated each one with meticulous attention to detail, and by the time they reached the lair, she felt like she'd learned about a whole new world through its signs.

"Tanaka!"

Tigerclaw's gruff voice caught both their attentions as they entered the lair, and Tanaka's eyes grew wide, but Dani stepped forward first with a flourish of her hand. "Slow your roll, Tigerclaw. I asked Tanaka to come out. Seriously, dude, you have no chill."

Tigerclaw gaped at her, so caught off guard that he simply stood and stared until Donnie appeared and raised a brow ridge at her. "Why are you wearing a crown?" he asked.

"Why _wouldn't_ I wear a crown?" she responded loftily, before turning to smirk at Tanaka. "See you around." Tanaka waved awkwardly, but nothing could hide his sheepish smile. Then Dani bounced away, completely missing Tigerclaw's glare, who instead turned it to Donnie. The turtle snorted.

"Don't look at me," he said with a wave of the coffee cup in his hand. "That girl has a mind _all_ her own."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: THANK YOU so much for the responses/reviews from the last chapter. I'm very glad you guys are still reading. Much love and appreciation for your time and kind words.

And on the note of readers, the 2015 Stealthy Stories TMNT Fanfiction Competition has begun! Penance was nominated **in 8 categories!** Ryoshuu was nominated in **3** and even my little Apriltello kid!fic was nominated for Best Chibi. I am so, so excited. Please visit the tmntfanficcomp blog on tumblr for the link to vote. There are GREAT fics listed, so even if you don't vote for mine, please vote for the one you like the best when voting begins on April 7th!

To quote the lovely Firebird Scratches, "I love our fandom 3"

* * *

 _Sweden, 2001_

Every year, he expected the tree to be gone.

And yet, here it stood, tall and stoic against the Swedish winter. Tora stretched, his body standing straight for the first time in months.

Shifting out of the direction of the freezing cold winds, Tora reached up a striped paw and rested it on the trunk of the tree. The circus rarely followed a schedule, but every year they came to this town without fail because it was the ringmaster's home town and a great favorite of the other circus folk. The city waited in anticipation for their arrival all year long, and the band of performing travelers stayed for almost two weeks every year with gracious reception.

And each time, whenever they arrived, Tora managed to get away from the crowds long enough to come to this tree.

The tiger mutant slowly dropped his hand down the length of the wood, his paw tracing the row of notched lines, one for each year he had come, starting from when he was small. Every winter, as he grew larger, he marked his new height on this tree.

He had grown tall. And now, as he counted the notches, he realized something he hadn't before.

He was sixteen years old this year.

How curious. The cold was biting, and he had the warmth of Emily's train car to return to, but he waited. Standing on two feet was a rare and precious treat. He liked to linger when he had the chance.

Down the snowy hill, a small figure bundled in heaps of old, worn clothing stepped out of a tent. "Tora!" called Emily, looking all around for him. "Tora, where are you?"

He shifted in her direction, watching as she turned in a circle and began a determined march in the other direction. If she looked high up on the hill, she would see him, standing several yards away, as tall as a decent sized human man. Some secret part of Tora even wished she would. Pretending seemed to be more difficult now a days than it had been when they were both children.

But Emily had a one-track mind, he knew, and she disappeared out of sight without noticing him standing high above her on the hill. Tora looked back to the tree and traced the notches again.

By the time he heard Emily's voice once more, her breathing heavy behind him as she struggled up the snowy embankment, Tora felt he had had his fill of daydreaming. Turning slowly, he waited until she was dangerously close before dropping to all fours again, snow-tipped whiskers twitching as she appeared in front of him with a breathless smile.

"There you are!" she beamed, rushing to him and brushing some of the powder from his head. "Be careful out here, Tora. The cold is no good for you, you know." Drawing her arms around his neck, she warmed him with a hug and a quick nuzzle to his furry cheek. "Come on, I just got your favorite blanket out of the dryer. It's nice and cozy for you." Tora peered at her thoughtfully before trotting ahead.

His heavy paws left deep imprints in the snow ahead of her.

After a few minutes, the tiger paused to peer back at Emily when he didn't hear her follow, and he saw she was looking at the snow with a most curious expression.

Her eyes moved from the trail of paw prints he had just left to the other ones heading in the opposite direction. Longer strides, fewer impressions in the snow. A different walk altogether.

Tora simply watched, until at last Emily looked to him and shook her head. With a quick hop, she caught up with him and they continued down the hill together, back to the sanctuary of the small train car.

* * *

"This one will work," Dani lowered the button-up shirt from where she'd pressed it against Damon's torso. "Definitely this one. And – Oh! That tie – "

Damon's expression dropped into a glare. "Dani, no. No tie!"

Their mother and father entered the kitchen of their townhome, deeply engrossed in conversation as usual. "Getting ready for dinner tonight with Will's family?" asked April, her eyes on some kind of schematic. "A tie would be nice, Damon."

"Mmhm," Donnie agreed, shifting a coffee cup in one hand as he read something over April's shoulder. "You need to make a good impression."

"When have I ever not made a good impression?" asked Damon, to which all three of his family members stared at him quite pointedly. He rolled his eyes and dropped onto a stool at the kitchen island, one chin falling into his hand. "Fine. Give me the stupid tie."

"What're you guys looking at?" Dani peeked at the paper.

April beamed in response. "Oh, your dad and I bought an old warehouse and we're going to turn it into apartments to rent out. Neat, huh?"

Dani raised a brow. "Serious question," she looked to Donatello. "When do you _sleep?"_ Donnie smiled blithely.

"When the coffee runs out," he said with a nod.

"Wait a minute," Damon dropped a hand on the counter. "You two have enough money to buy an entire _warehouse_ and you still made me deliver newspapers for a whole summer just to buy an _X-Box_?"

"Yeah, it's called work ethic," said April sweetly.

"You're welcome," added Donatello cheerfully. "Go take out the garbage."

The pair returned to their thoughtful discussion as Damon and Daniella stared incredulously, each turning to look in disbelief at the other before they marched off, grumbling with garbage bags in hand. April grinned at the schematic. "We are the best parents," she said.

"Flawless execution," agreed Donnie.

"Ten points to April and Donnie!" she cheered, before they folded their paper and went to go relax on their back patio.

* * *

In the lair, Roman found Raphael and Leonardo in the dojo, weapons drawn but lowered as they debated some tactical methods for the kids' instructions. Roman made his way to them. "Hey," he said, his voice low. "Can we talk?"

The pair looked at each other before nodding, and the three of them moved to the laboratory. Roman paused, knowing he was potentially bringing up some very sensitive topics. Still, he had no choice.

"Mira and I were doing some investigating around where Tanaka got attacked," he told them. "And I think… " he paused again, before continuing, "I think we found the place where you guys killed the Shredder."

Leonardo grew still. "What makes you think that?" he asked evenly.

Reaching into his pocket, Roman pulled out the souvenir he'd lifted that day and wordlessly dropped it onto a small table in front of his father and uncle. The hockey puck bounced on the table just once, but the initials marked crudely on the top – CJ – remained visible.

"I'll be damned," Raphael reached forward and picked up the hockey puck.

Roman glanced at Leonardo, who looked at the small black disc with an odd look of indifference. "When Mira and I were looking around," continued Roman, "we found some tunnels near the alley way. It didn't really look like they'd been used lately, but that's where one of them led us." He pointed at the puck. "I found that in a room with a bunch of debris… and a few skeletons."

Tigerclaw's appearance behind Roman was so abrupt, the younger of the two nearly fell over. The grave tiger's eyes narrowed over Roman's shoulder. "You mean you did not gather the bodies after the battle?" he asked the turtles with a snarl, and Leonardo shifted in his spot before moving away.

"We had a lot going on at the time, Tigerclaw."

"And you could not go back for them later?" the tiger mutant continued, rounding Roman and standing in front of Leonardo with his whiskers twitching. "Not even Karai?"

Raphael's head jerked up at the name, but Roman simply stared. "Who is Karai?" he asked, looking to his dad and uncle, only to have them both look away. Something unpleasant roiled in Roman's stomach. He'd never seen either of them look so guilty.

"I see you gave him the abridged version," Tigerclaw said with no small amount of irritation.

Roman waved his hands. "What are you guys _talking_ about?" he asked, but Leonardo finally straightened and held up a hand for him to be quiet. He fell silent, but the knowledge that something was still being kept from him after all this time left a bad taste in his mouth. Leonardo snatched up the old hockey puck and tucked it into a drawer, out of sight.

"You should be grateful, Tigerclaw. If we'd gathered up the bodies and burnt them, you wouldn't even be standing here right now," he said roughly, alarming Roman all the more. His father had fallen silent, but Uncle Leo looked like he'd love nothing more than to murder Tigerclaw. The tiger seemed unbothered.

"If only I could repay such a _great debt_ ," he snarled, his one visible eye turning to Leo with no small amount of disdain. Surprisingly, it was Raphael who stepped between them and diffused the situation. "Look, none of us have been to that place in years. If Roman think it's got somethin' to do with Tanaka's attack, we should all go and investigate."

He looked to the teen, who stood straighter at the attention. "Can you lead us back there?"

Roman nodded. "Definitely," he said, before shifting a little in his spot. "And maybe… I don't know, if you guys do finally want to collect those bodies, we can bring enough of us to carry them back. I mean, there were only three. It wouldn't be that hard."

Tigerclaw, Raphael and Leonardo all froze.

"Three?" repeated Tigerclaw. "There should have been four."

Roman blinked, his gaze turning to the ceiling as he fought to remember the dusty, decrepit space. "Well, I mean... maybe there was one we missed. But I'm pretty sure we only saw three."

"Shredder," Leo counted on his fingers. "Karai, Bradford and Xever. And then Tigerclaw, who got out. There should be four left." The older males looked at each other in turn, before Tigerclaw took a step back and pulled a device out of his pocket.

"I've been in contact with Hun. If that fool has lied to me about the activity in that area, I will personally cut his throat," he snarled, turning away from the turtles. "Prepare your ninja. Tanaka and I will go with you tonight to investigate." He stormed off, leaving Roman with his uncle and father.

Leo paused, as if he had something to say. Then he simply glanced at Roman and left the laboratory. Roman and Raphael watched him stalk out, silent until the younger of the two spoke. "There's a lot more to this than you guys are telling us," Roman said with a frown.

His father sighed heavily. "It was all a real long time ago, Rome."

Roman looked to him, expecting Raphael to say more, but he didn't.

* * *

Will opened the door before Damon even had a chance to knock. "We-ell," he grinned. "Look who got dressed by his sister today."

Damon turned as if to leave, but Will caught him by the arm and they snickered together. "You look very nice," complimented Will, who Damon was relieved to see was also wearing nicer clothes (though not a tie). They shared a brief kiss in the doorway before Will let him inside.

"You better be so nice to me from now on," teased Damon, gesturing to his slacks. "I mean like, front row tickets nice." Will took his hand and laced their fingers.

"Get through tonight and I'll give you whatever you want," he said, to which Damon smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. Will shoved him lightly before bringing him into the living room. "What's your sister up to tonight?"

"Uhh," Damon glanced at the last six text messages on his phone.

(5:42 PM) _Eugh. Sensei and Uncle R are making us go into some freaky tunnels to collect dead bodies or something. Gross._

(5:55 pm) _TC and Tanaka are going too I guess, who knows_

(6:02 PM) _It is dark as shit down here._

(6:08 PM) _dude TC and tanaka can legit see in the dark._

(6:10 PM) _WTF TIGERCLAW JUST CALLED ME A HARLOT? GDI_

(6:16 PM) _we are all gonna die down here, omg._

Damon closed his phone. "She's watching tv or something," he said with a nod. He felt a little bad that all the others were going into the tunnels to check out what Mira and Roman had found (though he wasn't exactly sure what that was), but Will had been planning this night for two months. He couldn't screw this up. Will deserved better than that.

"Hello!" A cheerful woman with a bounty of natural curls and a nice red dress entered the living room. Damon couldn't resist a grin. Will looked _exactly_ like his mother, and for some reason, that made Damon feel instantly at ease.

"Hi Mrs. Stafford," Damon stepped forward and extended a hand, which she shook with a pleased smile. "I'm Damon."

"Ooh, so polite," she said to Will, and Damon silently patted himself on the back. Etiquette skills, on point. "It's great to finally meet you, Damon. You and Will have been together – what? Almost a year now?"

"A year next month," Will nodded, shifting a smile at Damon. See, thought Damon. This is easy. What was Will so worked up about?

"If you're keeping track, that means you're the girl, Will."

Eyes wide, Damon turned slowly to see a tall, broad-shouldered man enter the room with absolutely none of the easy countenance of Will's mother. Will instantly lost much of his confidence, though he did manage to stand as tall and straight as he could and meet his father's gaze. Damon glanced at him once and then looked back to the man.

He stepped forward and extended his hand again. "I'm just not good at dates," he commented lightly, easy smile in place. "It's nice to meet you."

For a moment, his hand lingered unshaken, but Will's father at last gave it a firm shake. "Michael Stafford," he said with a nod. "So you're Damon, huh?" He moved across the living room as Will's mother excused herself to check on dinner in the kitchen. "Well, could be worse I guess."

Will put a hand over his face before opening his mouth to speak, but Damon stopped him with a subtle touch to his arm. He took a seat on the couch next to Will's father and chuckled. "I get that a lot, actually." He looked to Will.

 _Relax,_ he mouthed.

His boyfriend wavered for a moment before taking a seat on the couch with Damon, a considerable distance from him, with absolutely no parts of them touching. Damon winced inwardly.

This was going to be a very long night.

* * *

"It is dark as shit in here," whispered Dani.

A heavy scowl sounded through the darkness. Dani ignored it. "And why does Haters Inc. get to have flashlights and we don't?" she continued in a whine, because someone was going to hear her complaints, damn it. Mira groaned next to her.

"Dani, can't you find someone else to talk to? Where's Damy?"

Dani made a face in the darkness of the tunnel, where she and Mira trailed behind the group ahead of them. Roman and Leonardo were the only ones allowed flashlights, for whatever reason, and they both hoarded them like cracky moths.

"He's with his _boyfriend_ ," muttered Daniella, making an extra sour face, even though she actually really liked Will. Her jealousy, however, rarely allowed her to remember that. "So no, I can't go talk to him."

"Well, too bad," Mira said, hurrying forward and leaving Dani at the back of the group, shrouded in the ink blackness of the tunnels that were, apparently, long enough to reach the other side of the planet. She felt like they'd been walking for hours. In reality, it had probably only been about fifteen minutes, but seriously, what the hell. She had things to do.

* * *

Not a single word had crossed the dinner table in almost fifteen minutes.

Damon studied his plate with intense purpose, if for no other reason than because looking up meant he was staring directly at Will's father, who had thus far not said or done a single pleasant thing since Damon's arrival.

Glancing to his side, Damon took note of Will's low gaze and forlorn features. He'd never seen him look so defeated. He was such a happy guy, thought Damon. The best. And his father had agreed to this dinner, and he knew Will was gay, so there had to be _some_ hope.

Looking down at his plate once more, which featured a lovely assortment of veggies, Damon put down his fork with a soft clink and looked directly at Will's father.

"So," he said animatedly, jarring everyone else at the table. "One time, at a baseball game last season, the pitcher from the other team found me before the game, just so he could call me a faggot."

The three Stafford family members stared.

Damon continued blithely, "Which, you know," he shrugged. "Whatever. But then, he said he didn't blame me for being gay, because if he had to deal with a bitch like my sister all the time, he'd probably be gay too."

To his side, Will buried his face in one hand.

"Anyway," Damon went on, as the others gaped in silence. "I knew my team would beat his, so I didn't punch him in the face like I wanted. Instead, I waited the whole game to bat, let the guy throw two strikes and then – bam – I hit a homerun and my team won by two scores. Pretty cool, right?" he smiled, as if oblivious to their stares. "After the game, I shook his hand like a civilized person and let him walk away."

He paused for a moment to let that sink in before continuing enthusiastically, "And then, because I don't like people talking bad about my sister, I found his car in the parking lot, took off all four of his car doors and _dumped them in a landfill_."

Three pairs of wide eyes stared as Damon picked up his fork and began eating again.

A few moments passed. Then Will's father burst out laughing. "Wow. That is – whoo, that is good stuff," he said, greatly amused. "Pretty slick, gotta hand it to you." He began to eat again, and Will and his mother did the same, astonished gazes on their food, as if it had sprung legs and started doing a dance. "Didn't know you played ball," said Will's father.

"We met at a game," said Will quietly. "I told you, remember?"

"Oh, right," said the older man, taking a moment to look genuinely sheepish. "Sorry, must've missed that." He looked back to Damon. "You any good?"

Damon fought a smile and shrugged again. "I'm okay," he said easily, sending a secret wink Will's way. His boyfriend's expression lost all of its tension in a single moment.

"He's really good," countered Will much more happily than before. "He plays for the All-Star team here."

"Really?" Will's father leaned forward excitedly. "I have always wanted Will to try out for that team, but – well, you know. School and stuff." He pointed his fork at Will. "He's good enough, though!"

Damon agreed with a nod at Will. "He's definitely good enough. But I'm pretty bad at school, so I should probably be the one sitting out to study more." He nudged Will's arm. "I had all B's last year, but Will helps me study. Now, I have two A's."

"Well, that's nice of you, Will," said his father with an unmistakable hint of pride. "William is pretty smart, I wager. Like his mother. She helped me all through college, too."

Will's mother stood away from the table with a laugh. "Helped? You wouldn't have passed a single class if not for me!"

The others snickered and Damon caught Will's eye, just long enough to see his face as Damon gently squeezed his hand under the table. They laced their fingers for a moment before they let go and continued to eat.

* * *

Something caught her foot and Daniella stumbled in the darkness, falling to one knee with a quiet shriek.

Righting herself proved to be difficult, but luckily, someone took her arm and helped her stand. When she looked up, she could see only a flash in the darkness. "Tanaka?" she questioned. A small, dim light appeared in his hand and briefly illuminated his face, feline eyes reflecting oddly. He smiled and motioned to her. _Okay_? he asked.

Dani flushed and nodded. "Yeah, thanks." Tanaka looked ahead to the group and put away his light, only to slip his hand in hers and lead them both forward without a hint of light to guide him until they rounded the corner and joined the others. Tigerclaw paused just long enough to glare at them and

Tanaka gave Dani one more small smile before letting go of her hand and moving next to his father again. Dani stuck her tongue out at Tigerclaw's back.

Tigerclaw and Tanaka moved to the front, eyes darting around the tunnel until, suddenly, they stopped in unison.

"Who is there?" Tigerclaw shouted suddenly, guns raised. The others froze in their spots, each looking more confused than the last until a figure emerged from the shadowy ends of the tunnel, hands raised.

"Whoa, whoa. Don't fire," said the man as he appeared. He looked between the members of the group casually. "Hun sent me. I'm here to help."

Tigerclaw and Tanaka kept their guns poised high. "I did not ask for Hun's assistance," said Tigerclaw. The young man shrugged.

"He said he had something you'd want to see. Something about the attack." He hesitated. "But, I mean, if you don't want to go..."

Tigerclaw narrowed his visible eye and looked to Leonardo, who nodded stiffly. With a sneer in the man's direction, Tigerclaw gestured for him to lead the way, and the stranger turned slowly and began to walk down a different tunnel. "This isn't the way to the room with the bodies," whispered Roman to Leo.

Leo touched the strap for his weapons. "We'll double-back if we have to."

The young man led them on for another forty or so feet. "Hun is real glad to have you back in town, Tigerclaw," he said conversationally from where he walked ahead of them. "Says havin' an old ally of Shredder's is beneficial. It's not easy running New York these days. Got a lot of stiff competition, you know?" His tone carried more than a hint of amusement. Tigerclaw growled softly.

"I do not care to benefit Hun in anyway. His only interest should be in staying alive. Something I may or may not allow."

Looking back at Luka, Mira and Dani, Roman felt his uneasiness rise. However, he did as he was told and continued on with the others. It was too dark for human eyes to see into the distance, so he settled for watching Tigerclaw's expression nearby instead. As it turns out, this was just as informative as a brightly lit room. Tigerclaw missed nothing.

When the mutant paused again, Roman instantly tensed.

Tigerclaw looked to Tanaka with a sharp jerk of his head and motioned. Without skipping a beat, Tanaka raised a blaster gun and shot Hun's man in the head, point-blank.

Raphael jumped back. "What the hell!" he exclaimed, but Tigerclaw's voice overlapped his.

"THIS IS A TRAP!"

Loud electric pops sounded all the way down the tunnel and - _click, click, click_ \- the droids that had attacked Tanaka before appeared in alarming numbers on both sides of the tunnels, weapons raised, cybernetic limbs glowing.

"You had to make threats, Tigerclaw!" jeered a voice from overhead, and the others looked up to see the gangster Hun standing on a platform. "But you don't have anyone to back you up, anymore." He turned away from them, out of reach and unconcerned. "Not that it ever truly helped you."

Tigerclaw lunged at the platform but missed, while the droids dropped down in response with heavy metal clangs as they landed. Roman pulled out his weapons and motioned to his cousins, who did the same. Dani yanked out her tessen.

"Just your average Thursday night with the Hamato's!" she exclaimed. "YAH!"

* * *

"Have I ever told you you're totally brilliant?"

Will caught Damon's arm as soon as they were alone in the foyer and gave him a quick but excited kiss. Damon grinned. "No, actually, I think you've kept that to yourself." He reached up a hand and gently nudged Will's chin. "See? Everything turned out fine."

He glanced down at his phone, which buzzed for what seemed like the hundredth time. He hadn't wanted to pull it out during dinner, but now that he looked – ah, hell. "Hey, uh. Let me take a call real fast, okay?" he said to Will, hurrying away from his boyfriend and dialing Dani. He paused near the living room window as the phone rang.

"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" was Dani's opening answer to the call. Explosions sounded in the background and Damon slapped a hand over his face.

"What the hell is going on?" he whispered vehemently.

"Okay, so," Dani paused to shriek, more explosions sounded in the background. "YAH!" The phone muffled for a moment before her breathless voice returned. "Long story short, lots of robots, getting our asses kicked, need backup like – _yesterday_."

"I can't leave yet!" Damon glanced hurriedly in the direction of the room where Will's family was. "I just now made his dad like me!" But one more blast in the background and Damon knew he had to go. "Okay, look, I'll come and help. But how do I even find you guys?"

"Uhh." _Boom._ Damon stared out of the living room window, lips parted in disbelief as a plume of fire and smoke erupted a hundred feet into the air about three blocks over.

"Nevermind," he said dully. "I think I can find you." He shut off the phone with a click and turned on his heel only to see Will standing right in front of him. He shrieked and dove for the window, yanking the window curtains closed. "Oh, hey, babe. Fancy… seeing you here."

"At my house?" Will questioned, folding his arms. "Why do you look like you're leaving?"

Damon straightened and shoved his phone in his pocket. "Okay, so I know this is bad, but I have to go – "

"Damon, what the hell!" Will tossed up his arms. "My parents – I mean, we're not even done with dessert!"

"I'm sorry," Damon groaned. "This is an emergency, I swear I will make it up to you." He hurried out of the door with Will on his heels. "I'm serious, I will – I will do whatever you want, but I have to go now."

"But – Damon!"

Damon didn't wait a second longer, instead darting down the steps and rounding a corner. Will followed close behind, but when he rounded the corner of the house, Damon had vanished. Will looked all around, but there was no trace of him anywhere.

"What in the…" he muttered.

* * *

Racing over rooftops, nunchucks in hand, Damon dropped off of a fire escape and rolled onto the street just as a chunk of New York City street burst with an explosion, and from below it poured the droids that had attacked Tanaka. "Holy hell," he recoiled, weapons in hand just as Raphael and Leonardo jumped out of the hole from below the street, weapons tearing furiously into the droids.

"Nice of you to show up!" Roman appeared at Damon's side just in time to knock a blaster away from one of the droids, the shot of which landed on a street pole and melted it to the ground.

"Hey! I had stuff to do!" Damon said, crouching defensively before taking out two droids. "And if I survive this, Will is totally going to kill me." The two teens leaped back into the fray, only barely managing to escape more of the droids. The five Hamato teens gathered close together – ("Hey Damy!" "Nice slacks, dude" "Don't ruin that shirt, Damon!") – to fight, while Tigerclaw and Tanaka used their guns to systematically target each droid within range.

Suddenly, a group of droids appeared in front the teens and fired long guns with rounded barrels. Mira shrieked and tried to jump away, but all five of the teens were hit at the same time by a strange set of needles.

"Agh!" Roman jerked to the side, his hand jumping up to grab at the sharp piercing as the others did the same, but no sooner had they all recovered from the brief, shocking pain did the needles jump from their skin and to a magnet-like device held by one of the droids.

"Ouch!" Dani cried out, wincing. "That felt like the world's bitchiest mosquito, what the hell!"

"What was the purpose of that?" Luka wondered outloud, eyes wide behind his glasses. The droids with the odd guns then retreated with haste, and within mere moments, the other robotic fighters did the same, sending off defensive blasts just often enough to get away.

"We can't let 'em escape!" cried out Raphael, but the street had been thoroughly disrupted by the battle and the police were already on their way. "Damn it!"

"Let's go, ninja. Back to the lair!" ordered Leo.

Tigerclaw and Tanaka hesitated, but they followed behind as well, and the group hurried from the area to avoid the law.

* * *

 _Ireland, 2002_

The hour had grown late, but Emily hadn't realized it until she felt something nudge at her ankle. "Oh, Tora," she said, closing her book and setting it next to her bed. "I got caught up in my story! But you're right, we should go to bed. Early lessons tomorrow." She stood and turned off her lamp, leaving only her dim light in the corner of the room still on. Then she pulled back her bedsheets and climbed in.

When Tora remained on the floor, she sat up. "Tora? Didn't you hear me? Come on, now. It's time for bed." She patted the spot next to her. But Tora simply looked at her from the floor, and for the first time in many years, he did not jump onto the bed with her and curl up to go to sleep. He stayed just where he was, and to further solidify his point, he rested on his stomach and placed his head on his paws.

Emily frowned, hurt jumping across her features. Tora looked away.

"Well," she said softly. "I suppose we are getting a bit big to both fit comfortably. You can stay on the floor… if you really want." She continued to sit up in her bed for a moment. "But you should at least have your blanket," she decided, gathering up Tora's blanket and moving onto the floor to wrap it around him. Even the way she tucked in the blanket at his large, furry side was quite pitiful and sad.

Tora stopped her motions with a paw to her arm and, to show her he wasn't angry, he leaned up and nuzzled his large head on her cheek. This seemed to relax Emily, and she hugged him sincerely before she stood and went back reluctantly to her bed. "If that is where you want to be, Tora," she whispered as she climbed back into her sheets. "Then I wish you good night."

She tossed and turned for a little while, but at last, she fell asleep. Tora remained where he was, interred in his blanket.

Emily knew he was different. She did not know he was a _ware._

Perhaps it had not been selfish or wrong for him to take advantage of her comfort when they were very young, but they were older now. He could not let himself sleep next to her, stay in the room while she changed clothes or let her hold his head in her lap, as they had done when they were both children. It had not mattered then.

It mattered now, even if Emily did not know it.

So Tora stayed on the floor, as he would every night after that. Even though, secretly, he missed Emily's sleeping form at his side more than he could ever hope to describe. When he was sure she had drifted off, he rose from his spot, sat like the human he had once been and opened her book.

And if she ever noticed a small piece of paper marking a different spot in her books than what she had read, she did not mention it.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! I hope everyone is enjoying this as much as I am! And hey, if any of you are X-Men fans as well, I'm six chapters into a story on that as well. Just, you know. If you're interested. :p

Oh! And for those of you who don't remember, Casey moved to Chicago during the events of In The Moment. He has a family and stuff there now, but he visits often, so the kids know who he is.

* * *

"Well," said Donnie, holding the glass slide eye-level. "This is the last of the kids' DNA samples."

"And?" inquired Leonardo.

"Normal," Donnie said, shaking his head as Luka jumped off the table and accepted a brightly colored band-aid. "Whatever the droids did when they shot the kids with those needles, it didn't create any changes I can see."

Roman rubbed at his arm. "I told you guys," he said emphatically. "I don't think it was injecting us with anything. I'm pretty sure it was taking blood." He made a face. "You know, like you just did?"

"Seriously," Mira groaned. "Can we go now? It's like, past midnight and I have been poked, prodded, shot at and maimed tonight." Leo glanced at Donnie, who nodded.

"You're free to go," he said, and the kids all jumped to their feet, Damon most quickly of all.

"Thank god, I've got to go to Will's – "

Donnie dropped the slide and swiftly turned with a hand held high. "Oh, no you don't! It's almost one o'clock in the morning and you guys just fought your way out of a whole army's worth of robots! You're not going anywhere."

Damon balked. "But Dad!" he cried out in disbelief. "I had to bail on his family dinner! And he's not even blowing up my phone about it, which means he is already beyond pissed off."

April entered the laboratory. "Well, that's too bad," she said. "Apologies can wait until tomorrow."

"In fact," said Leonardo as he straightened from his spot, where he'd waited in thoughtful silence. "New rule for the time being is that no one goes anywhere alone. Not until we figure out where these things are coming from."

Roman made an indignant noise. "Even me? But I'm like a one man army!" Next to him, Raphael rolled his eyes and poked him hard in the shoulder.

"Hey, I don't care if you can pull a bazooka out of your ass! Do what Leo says!"

"And to think," whispered Donnie to April with a smirk. "All those years of crazy, impulsive behavior and it only took fatherhood to make Raph want to follow the rules." They snickered together.

"It's just temporary," said Leo. "But I expect you to follow it. All of you," he said, turning a pointed stare to the other kids. Dani tossed her arms up in frustration.

"And let the turtle-tatorship begin!" she snapped before stalking out. Damon huffed and followed, while Mira shrugged and Luka shuffled out without a word.

Leo dragged a hand down his face. "Who told me parenthood was fun? Was it you, Raph?"

The other turtle twisted a toothpick in his mouth. "Doubt it," he grunted.

* * *

 _This bag is a lot heavier than I expected,_ thought Damon.

He shifted the duffel sack around to his back and fixed the strap. Looking around the neighborhood, he paused for a moment to pray that for once, his parents would actually sleep and not wander around the house like zombies and possibly notice that he'd sneaked out almost as soon as he'd "gone to bed."

With a heavy sigh, Damon crouched and then ran for a brick wall, which he scaled high enough to grab onto a window ledge and pull himself up. He went that way for a few more feet before he found the window he was looking for. Peeking between the curtains, he saw that despite the late hour, Will was still awake, lying on his bed with a book he wasn't really reading, judging from his restless shifting.

Damon tapped on the window.

Will's eyes snapped up in alarm, but when he spotted Damon through the curtains, he relaxed. And then he tensed up again, because oh, yeah. He was pissed.

Damon almost fell off the ledge when Will yanked up the window and glared. "Heeeyyyy," said Damon with his best smile. No response. "….. Sexy?" he added uncertainly.

Despite his irritation, Will stepped aside to let Damon in, and the redhead dropped into the room quietly and pulled off the duffel bag. "Now, before you say anything, I want you to see what I brought you," said Damon as cheerfully as he could manage under Will's withering glare. "It's a bag with some of your favorite things! Like for example – M&Ms!"

He pulled out a large bag of candy and placed it on Will's desk. "And I didn't even open it up, even though I really wanted to." He cleared his throat. "Next item," he reached into the bag. "A new book by Neil Gaiman! Because you like all of his books, remember? See, you have one there... and there... and – okay yeah, you get the idea." He emptied the bag.

"And the last gift – a puzzle! Because you like puzzles!" Damon showed him the box cover, which featured a cottage in the woods.

Will stared. "You'rea _puzzle_ , Damon," he said flatly, and somehow he made _puzzle_ sound synonymous with _asshat_. Damon dropped the back and sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry. What did you tell your parents?"

Will dropped his arms but his stance barely relaxed. "That you had a family emergency. They were a little put off, but I think they bought it."

"Well," said Damon slowly. "It's the truth. I did have a family emergency." He paused, and he could see Will was waiting for him to continue, so he did, with a great deal of reluctance. "It was… um, Dani." He winced inwardly. "She got… mugged. At gun point."

Will's eyes widened. "What? Is she okay?" he asked, his expression immediately shifting into concern. His instant change in attitude made Damon feel even worse. _You do not even deserve him,_ he thought derisively to himself.

"Yeah," he said outloud, moving to sit on the edge of Will's bed. "It's just – she was really freaked out, and you know how Dani is. She doesn't like for people to think she's weak. So she didn't want me to say anything."

Will sat next to him and sighed softly. "That sounds like her," he said with a nod. "I won't mention it. I promise."

"Thanks," Damon smiled weakly. "And I really am sorry about dinner. I feel like an asshole."

His boyfriend reached over and looped an arm around him, pulling him close. "Yeah, well, you shouldn't," he told him sincerely. After a pause, he added, "But hold on to that feeling. I'm sure you'll need it in the near future."

Damon let himself relax into Will's arms and grinned. "Oh, you are just so funny, you know that?"

They snickered. "I'm sorry too," said Will. "I shouldn't have given you such a hard time." Damon's smirk grew and he twisted his head a bit to look at Will behind him.

"Actually, I'm all about some hard times," he teased, and oh, he loved Will's blush. Now that his head was turned, he reached up and pressed Will into a lingering kiss. His hand found Will's and linked their fingers as they shared a smile.

"You know," said Will quietly. "You can stay here if you want. It's only a few hours until dawn."

Damon shifted in Will's arms to face him. "You have… absolutely no idea how tempting that is," he admitted with a real wince this time. "But my parents are on patrol right now. I need to get back before they realize I'm gone." He stood with a great deal of reluctance and Will followed to the center of the room, giving him one last wave as he turned back to his bed. Then he hesitated and turned again.

"Hey, how did you even get up – "

But Damon was already gone.

Will blinked. "What the hell – Am I dating _Spiderman_?" He shook his head and fell back into bed.

* * *

The following day, the kids attempted to return to their normal schedules. School was back in session after Spring Break, which meant they were occupied during the day, leaving the turtles and their spouses to do the same.

Leonardo and Raphael continued working with Tigerclaw and Tanaka to try and find some information, but so far, none of their sources had turned up much. Not that Tigerclaw seemed all that worried with the robots. His vengeance was geared in another direction.

"Hun's man is the one who led us into that trap," he growled to Leonardo. "And when I find him, I will turn his body into _ribbons_ of barely recognizable tissue."

"Try not to kill him until we've gotten some information," warned Leo. "Hun didn't pull that trick off without some help. We'll return to the tunnels tonight, full stealth. And this time, we'll get to Shredder's old lair."

He paused and eyed Tigerclaw. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Tigerclaw's one visible eye managed to convey a great deal of annoyance. "What, Hamato?" he questioned irritably.

Leonardo shifted away from him, pretending to occupy himself with organizing some data they'd printed out. "How old is Tanaka?"

The other mutant's posture stiffened minutely, but Leo caught it nonetheless. "Why?" asked Tigerclaw with a sneer, not any more willing to look at Leo than Leo was to look at him.

"I was just wondering," Leo managed nonchalantly. "He seems like, I don't know, maybe he might've been alive when… you know, Shredder was – "

At this, Tigerclaw turned fully to face Leonardo, his feline features outlined with warning. He said nothing, but Leo got the message. He didn't exactly fear Tigerclaw, but he understood touchy subjects, so he simply nodded to Tigerclaw and fell silent.

They continued their work without speaking.

In the living room of the lair, the young hybrid in question sat on the couch, knees pulled up to his chest as he so often sat, for whatever reason. After a few minutes, Daniella entered and tossed her backpack carelessly to the side. As soon as she spotted Tanaka, she bit her lip to hide a smile and wandered up to him.

"Hey," she said, signing as she spoke. "What's up?"

Tanaka's lips quirked at the greeting and Dani flushed a little. "I know you don't need the signs," she said, continuing to motion as she spoke. "But it helps me learn them to do it this way." She sat down gingerly on the couch next to him as Tanaka broke into a full fanged smile.

 _You're doing great,_ he signed happily. _How was school?_

Dani made a face. "Boring," she said, and then realized she didn't know the sign for that, so she let him show her. This was a lot more fun than she'd thought it would be. Suddenly, something crashed in the lab and they both peered over the back of the couch to see Tigerclaw throwing some things around, muttering angrily as he did so.

"Even here!" he growled, "Halfway across the world and I still can never find my things! Argh!"

Tanaka broke into a fit of poorly disguised laughter and ducked down behind the couch. Dani did the same. "What're you laughing at?" she whispered with a snicker.

He grinned cheekily. _I hide his things from him,_ he told her, obviously pleased with himself. He peeked over the couch again.

"What? Why?" Dani asked, incredulous. Tigerclaw was in full rage mode now, cursing and reverting back to Japanese regularly.

 _Because it's funny,_ Tanaka told her as he ducked behind the couch again, before adding – _And because I'm faster than he is._

"Tanaka!"

The two teens whirled in their spots to face Tigerclaw, who had appeared in front of them very suddenly. "Have you seen my biometric scanner?"

The younger mutant gave an exaggerated shrug. _Did you leave it at home?_ he asked, trying his best to look serious and concerned.

"What? No, of course –" Tigerclaw snarled, before stopping suddenly and narrowing his eyes. "Where is it, Tanaka?"

 _I don't have it!_

"Tanaka," the large tiger growled in warning.

 _I don't have it!_ Tanaka signed again, but he was already standing on the couch, ready to flee and laughing quite hard. When Tigerclaw leaped for him, Dani shrieked and covered her head because Tanaka had already jumped over the back of the couch and sped off.

"COME BACK HERE!" Tigerclaw roared before racing off after him.

* * *

Across the lair, Roman entered with his motorcycle keys on hand, backpack falling carelessly to the floor. Obviously, all of the kids had their own homes and went there in the evenings, but because training was in the dojo at the lair, most of them simply came straight there after school.

Not that Roman had been planning ahead whenever he'd left school. An unusual heaviness weighed on his mind, and he'd felt like he was in a cloud all day, trying to find the root of his discomfort.

He'd almost given up when the source, in fact, nearly bowled him over.

"Whoa!" he barely caught himself before he and Tanaka went flying to the ground. "What in the hell is your hurry?"

Tanaka quickly helped catch him and stand them both up again, though not before taking a quick look over his shoulder. When whatever he was running from didn't appear, he looked back to Roman with an easy shrug, lips quirked in a smile.

Roman eyed him for a moment. "Okay, well… Hey, while I've got you here," he looked around. "Can we talk?" He motioned to a back corridor area of the lair. It had been outfitted by middle-school aged Roman and Damon with a small circle of comfy, ratty chairs, posters that their parents didn't approve of and an old radio. Their _guy corner_ , as they'd called it at the time.

Tanaka tilted his head curiously and then nodded, holding up a hand for Roman to wait a moment before he jogged off and returned with his laptop. Taking a seat on one of the chairs, Tanaka opened his laptop and waited patiently.

Roman, on the other hand, was a bit more antsy.

He sat near enough to Tanaka to see the laptop screen and took his time speaking. "So, the other night in the tunnels," he said slowly. "You killed that guy."

Tanaka raised a brow. _Which guy?_ he typed.

Roman's brows furrowed. "The guy you _shot,_ " he said, already losing his careful tone. "Hun's guy."

 _Oh!_ Tanaka typed. _Yes, I did. He was leading us into a trap._

"Yeah," Roman conceded, "but you didn't know that. You only shot him because Tigerclaw told you to."

Tanaka didn't type, but it was clear from his expression that he wasn't sure what Roman's question was. Roman scooted forward on his seat, elbows on his knees. "Look, I know you guys are like, bounty hunters or whatever, but do you really just do whatever Tigerclaw tells you to do? I mean," he straightened a little, fighting to keep his posture neutral. "Even if it's killing someone?"

At this, Tanaka's expression lost some of its ease.

 _Yes._

And then after a moment, Tanaka continued. _My father is wise. I listen to what he says because I know that, even if it doesn't make sense to me at the time, it's for the best. He wouldn't tell me to do something unless it had to be done._

"You disobeyed him when you ran away to New York," Roman pointed out.

The other shrugged. _I knew he would come after me. I only wanted to see if I could do the job myself before he got here._ At Roman's dubious look, he continued. _I do what my father tells me to because I want to. I trust him._

"Trust him?" repeated Roman, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. "You do realize he was the second-hand man for one of the worst human beings to ever walk this planet, right?"

 _He did what he had to,_ the hybrid responded, a hint of darkness clouding his features.

Roman shook his head. "No, _my_ parents did what they had to. Your father – I mean, he killed lots and lots of people."

Tanaka's eyes glinted. _And you think your father and uncles haven't killed people?_

Roman balked. "My dad and uncles let your father live, even after what he did. And they would never hurt anyone unless they had to. They're heroes."

Across from him, Tanaka's brows furrowed. _Hero and villain are just words used to describe the same person on different sides. I don't think you understand as much as you think you do._

Roman narrowed his eyes. "I understand plenty. And to me, it sounds like you're just brainwashed into following Tigerclaw's orders like some Foot clan soldier."

Tanaka held up a hand to interrupt him. _I'm not surprised you think that way. You have an entire family of people you can care for and fight with. I only have my father. And he only has me._

They locked gazes for a moment before Tanaka continued.

 _I will always do as he tells me. Your judgment will not change that._

Roman puffed and leaned forward. "Yeah, but – "

The laptop closed with a snap and Tanaka placed his hands calmly on top, fingers clasped as he looked to Roman with a pointed stare. Bristling, Roman finally decided against trying to push the conversation further and stood. "Fine," he said. "But I'm watching you. Both of you."

Tanaka's response to this was to give him a very exaggerated and sarcastic OK sign, and Roman marched off with a huff.

* * *

The tunnels were as dark as ever, but the group pushed forward diligently, with Leo and Roman at the front, weapons in hand.

"This way," said Roman, pointing to the southernmost tunnel. The group moved forward, with Tigerclaw and Tanaka at the back, guns raised. They bypassed the area where they'd been attacked before and took the path Roman had suggested the first time.

"Here, this door right here," he said, hurrying forward and ripping it open without a care for the broken lock. However, his enthusiasm was quickly cut short.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed, craning his neck up high.

The corridor he and Mira had taken before was filled from top to bottom with rubble, and no part of it was visible any longer. "Are you sure this is the door?" questioned Leo. Roman scowled and pulled away.

"It definitely is. Which means – "

"They blew it up," finished Tigerclaw dryly, his whiskers twitching with a sneer. "They destroyed the tunnels leading to the lair."

"Well, can't we just go by the surface?" questioned Dani behind them. "The lair is above ground."

But that, too, proved disappointing when they came upon the old lair by the darkness of night. A pile of rubble and nothing more, everything buried and destroyed. Where the bodies had been, the laboratory, all of it was gone.

Roman dragged a hand down his face. "That son of a bitch Hun," he growled lowly to Mira. "He knew we escaped those bots and he covered his tracks."

"Someone doesn't want us to know what's going on here," said Leo, his blue eyes sharp on the rubble. A bit of bone stuck out of the broken stones, but it was nearly impossible to tell who – or what – it had belonged to. "Or whoever was missing from the bodies in the lair."

Tigerclaw let out a derisive snort and leveled his gun to his shoulder. "Well, I can certainly think of a new body to add to the pile," he snarled, before looking to Tanaka. "Get the equipment ready. We're doing this our way."

"Tigerclaw, wait, we don't need to mass a full-scale attack on Hun," cautioned Leo, but the larger mutant forced him out of the way.

"This has nothing to do with you, turtle."

* * *

 _England, 2003_

The noise from the departing guests was finally starting to fade, and Tora fancied that he deserved a treat after how well he'd done in tonight's show. Performing in front of a crowd was remarkably simple, but annoying, and his biggest source of amusement was growling at nearby children and scaring them.

Which he'd only done a little tonight.

Emily was at lessons, he realized as he trotted through the animal tent, unattended. He could wait for her at the train car, maybe nuzzle his way into one of those spicy beef jerky things he really liked. Those were his favorite.

Suddenly, pain lanced his side and he jerked violently, terror seizing him for a moment before two pairs of hands shoved him forcefully back. The split-second of awareness that left him was all the two men needed, and before he realized what was happening, the cage door slammed shut with a loud, resounding click. One of the men held a shock stick.

Tora lunged at the bars with an enraged roar.

"Whoa!" the unfamiliar man jumped back and looked nervously to the other. "Man, I wasn't sure we could pull that off. That thing has gotten huge."

Rick eyed the cage with a toothy, smug grin. "Eh, it's still just a dumb animal. Ain't that hard." He handed the other man a bill. "Thanks for your help."

"Whadd'ya want him locked up for?" asked the other, eyeing the tiger uneasily as he paced the cage, fangs bared. "The girl is just gonna let him out as soon as she finds him." Rick approached the cage and smirked, lips twitching.

"Don't need him in here for that long," he said, looking Tora up and down. "Just one night."

Behind the cage's bars, Tora's eyes widened. With another feral growl loud enough to shake the walls, he lunged for Rick, but the man pulled back in time to avoid his razor sharp claws. The man snorted. "Ain't gonna do shit this time," he taunted him lowly, before turning away and leaving Tora contained.

He disappeared from the tent, but Tora's panic only grew.

He struggled against the bars, desperately trying to paw at the lock, but it was no use. He couldn't get the door open and even using his paws like hands was no help. Thrashing wildly against the steel, Tora fought the cage like a personal rival, hysteria threatening.

Emily, Emily. He had to get out and find Emily.

Something moved beyond the tent, and he looked sharply, seeing the silhouette of Old Anne, one of the keepers. She couldn't see him, or she might let him out. But she was moving away. _No_! Tora pushed harder against the gate, whimpering noises escaping him, desperation mounting.

Just before her silhouette moved away entirely, Tora gripped the bars and yelled out in a raspy voice.

"ANNE!"

The silhouette paused. Seconds later, Anne entered the tent, looking bewildered when she didn't see anyone. Then she spotted Tora pacing wildly in the cage, enraged snorts escaping him. He pawed at the door pointedly, each move anxious. "Tora!" exclaimed the old woman. "What on earth are you doing locked up? Where's Emily, I wonder?"

He jumped at the lock and pawed, whimpering even more loudly.

"Did her pa put you in there?" asked Anne as she moved to stand at the cage's gate. "Because I don't think I should let ya' out if he put you in there for somethin' you did."

Tora's throat felt dry and his head swam with terror. _Open it, you old bag! Open it, now!_

The very words formed on his tongue, and he opened his mouth to speak them, but Anne stepped forward in that moment and slipped the key into the lock. "Ah, well, Emily's pa is an mean old drunk. I'll let ya' out."

The door swung open with a fierce blow from Tora's paws and he sped away, rushing past the old woman and bursting out of the tent, heart pounding in his chest. He looked around for a moment before he hurried off, large feet pounding on the grass as he rushed to Emily's train car.

"… off of me, I said no!"

"You know you want it!"

In front of the train car, the foul man who had caged Tora grappled with a thrashing Emily, his hand already well under her skirt even as she fought and kicked. The door of her train car swung open and he pulled her in the direction of the car, dragging her feet across the grass. "Hush up!" he slurred, turning to push her up the low steps into the car.

She stumbled up the steps and fell, her vision clouded with tears. "NO!" she screamed, but her cry was cut short when the man's weight was suddenly yanked off her.

With a deafening roar, Tora sank his teeth and both front claws into the man's body and hurled him through the air with a large chunk of flesh staying in Tora's grip. Emily sat up quickly, her eyes wide.

Rick landed in the grass with a heavy thud and a pained yelp, bleeding freely from his shoulder and he spotted Tora moving slowly towards him, his face lost all color. "You – you sorry beast, I locked you up! How did you – "

The tiger advanced, red-stained lips pulled back in a snarl, heavy shoulders moving up and down with a predatory stalk.

"Call it off, Emily!" Rick shouted to the girl, who stood and watched from behind Tora. "Don't you hear me, fool girl?" he hurried backwards, crawling on injured limbs. "Call it off!"

Emily's trembling lips pursed and she wrapped her arms around her torso. Her chin lifted as she spoke. "Tora does as he wishes," she told him in shaky tones. She turned away and hurried into her train car just as the tiger pounced, pinning Rick with a painfully sharp grip.

Tora lowered his head slowly to the man's ear and whispered in low, gravelly tones borne of years of disuse.

"...And Tora wishes to _rip out your throat."_

No noise was ever more horrified than the one that escaped Rick in that split-second before Tora lunged, and the only regret Tora would have later was not enjoying it enough.

Alone, Emily sat inside her train car on the edge of her bed, tears streaming down her face. After a few moments, she heard Tora enter slowly, one paw jumping up to wipe at his bloody muzzle. She looked to him with a soft cry, her eyes turning back to her lap as she twisted her hands.

"Oh, Tora…" she whispered fearfully to her lap. "Papa will kill you this time. I know he will." She sobbed outright now, her entire body shaking. "He'll kill you, Tora! I'm so scared for you!"

He approached cautiously before taking a seat in front of her, tail thumping lightly on the floor. After a very long moment, he leaned his head forward, eyes ducked low to meet Emily's.

"I'm sorry," he said aloud.

Her tears stopped. Her hands pulled away from her face and the expression that lifted to Tora's was astonished, disbelieving. She stuttered more than once before managing to speak. "Tora… Did you just – did you just talk?"

Tora looked away briefly before he turned back to her and, with slow, deliberate movements, unfolded her legs and stood on two feet.

Emily's eyes widened, her lips parted in shock as she stood slowly in front of him, much shorter than he was while standing. After careful consideration of her words, she finally asked, in tones somewhat removed from the despair of before – "You're not a tiger, are you?"

He hesitated before answering, but did so anyway, his voice rough.

"I was a human child once," he told her truthfully. "Many years ago." His tail twitched behind him. "I am not sure what I am now."

Emily looked up to meet his gaze, and he found it peculiar to look down at her for the first time ever. How small she seemed. Her stature and personality certainly did not match, he thought in a wild moment of distraction.

"I – I always knew you were special," she murmured, stepping closer to him without an ounce of caution. He should have known to expect such a reaction from her, as he knew her fearlessness better than anyone, but to see it right on front of him was every bit as amazing to him as his appearance was to her.

She looked up at his face suddenly, cheeks flushed as she moved away and paced the small room. "Oh, and all these years, I've just been chattering on and on and on about senseless things, and you've probably wished a thousand times you could just get me to be quiet!" A small nervous laugh escaped her as she pressed a cooled hand to her warm cheeks. "You must think I'm so silly."

He moved around her, head ducked low against the affronting ceiling.

When Emily looked up at him, he took a single digit and touched her chin. "Everything I learned, I learned from you," he told her with frank sincerity.

Her expression melted into a gentle smile at that, and she reached up, wrapping her owner small fingers around his paw. She pressed her cheek against it, as she had often done before. It seemed like a tranquil expression, but when she opened her eyes, they were undeniably sad.

"You have to leave," she told him tearfully. "Papa will kill you if you don't."

Tora scanned her features thoughtfully. "I know," he conceded quietly.

Sniffling, Emily pulled away and reached for cloak, which she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped around Tora's shoulders. When he crouched low enough for her, she pulled the hood over his head. "There," she murmured. "Anyone who goes looking will be hunting a tiger. Not a man."

Tora nodded in understanding, and he moved to straighten, but Emily stopped him by winding her arms around his neck and burying her face in the fur on his neck.

"I'll miss you," she whispered with a poorly suppressed sob.

Emily's hug was not new to him, but the sensation of pulling both arms around her certainly was. His paws at her back, he allowed himself to close his eyes briefly before he let her go.

"Goodbye, Emily."

He paused at the door, paws reaching up to secure the hood over his face and to let his gaze linger on her one last time. Then he disappeared into the night, leaving the circus and all its memories behind.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Back again! I'm so glad you guys are interested in Tigerclaw's backstory. I love that salty old tiger.

Thanks for the reviews!

Important Note: The last section of this chapter (which is a flashback and is rather long) is rated **M for adult situations.** Namely, sex. Nothing crass, but it's definitely there. I encourage you to read it, but if you don't, it will be explained in later chapters. Enjoy!

* * *

Daniella scanned the lair.

She didn't spot who she was looking for, but she did manage to find his large, burly, angry father. "Hey Tony," she said, dropping a hip against the desk Tigerclaw was working at. The large mutant responded by sidling her with a very threatening glare, which she ignored in favor of inspecting her nails. "Have you seen Tanaka?"

"No," he said flatly, looking back to his work. Dani dropped her hand and huffed.

"I can't find him!" She whined, putting her hands on her hips. "I know he's in here some – " At that, she chanced a look up and stopped. Because above her, stretched out over one of the thick pipes that criss-crossed the lair's ceiling, was Tanaka, looking more like a cat than she'd ever seen him, with one arm hanging off the pipe and his legs somehow balanced to keep him steady on his stomach.

"Is he _asleep_?" asked Dani in disbelief

Tigerclaw glanced up and then looked back to his work. "Yes," he said gruffly. "And good luck waking him. Now get out of my way, O'Neil Jr."

"I'm not – Okay, whatever," she hopped away and inspected the walls, wondering how in the hell she could get up there, because calling out to him would do no good at all. After a few moments, she kicked off her heels and climbed some of the shelves, which she then tread cautiously across the room until she reached a pipe she could reach. Jumping high – and thanking her 5'10 height – she snatched a pipe and pulled herself up, secretly glad she'd worn shorts instead of a skirt today.

"Tanaka!" she said, despite knowing her efforts were futile. She got close enough to poke him in the side. "Tanaka! Wake up!" No response. Blowing a piece of red hair out of her face, she pushed his arm hard.

"Tanaka!"

He jerked awake with a startled noise and fell off the side of the pipe, but his claws jumped out and scrambled furiously for purchase, which he managed after only a few seconds panic. Dani shrieked as well and almost fell, but she managed to keep it together.

"I'm sorry!" she bit her lip, because a tiny part of her wanted to laugh. "I was just trying to wake you up!" Tanaka looked at her with wide, neon green eyes, his panic slowly subsiding as he managed to claw his way back onto the pipe and sit comfortably. "What're you doing all the way up here?" asked Dani.

The hybrid rubbed his face sleepily and smiled, his posture relaxing as he faced her. He shrugged and then signed. _I like being up high. I miss our trees._

He gestured to the lab. _Everything in this city is stone,_ he told her, frowning. Dani nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, that's why my family – Oh, wait!" she smiled suddenly, a real one that lit up her features. "I know where we can go! Come with me!" she turned swiftly on the pipe and dropped down, gracefully moving from one piece of furniture to the other until she was back on the floor.

Tanaka followed, though he made sure to keep out of Tigerclaw's sight as they darted out of the lair.

* * *

"So."

Mira jumped up and fired off a shot at the basketball goal, which Roman easily blocked. "You got shut down by Tanaka, huh?"

"I didn't get shut down," Roman countered immediately, taking the basketball and dribbling it a few times absently on the court – which was actually the loading area for the restaurant's food trucks and had hardly more than a single net and backboard to qualify it as anything else. "He just doesn't get it."

"Get what?" asked Mira, looking up as Roman shot and snatching the ball out of the air with an impressive leap. She moved around him and tossed the ball, making it this time. "You basically called his dad a bad guy, Rome."

"He _is a bad guy!"_

Mira threw the ball at his stomach, but he caught it. "Like a million years ago, dude! Why are you so hung up on this?"

Roman scowled and moved the ball in his hands. "Because I really think they're putting everyone in danger by being here," he told her, falling still as he thought. Mira paused in front of him, hands on her hips and hair sticking to the back of his neck from exertion. "And I don't buy that they're not still bad guys. I mean, look at their history. And their jobs! They're practically assassins, for crying out loud!"

Mira jumped forward and batted the ball out of his hands, taking it in her own. "Yeah, but, dude, think about it. How many types jobs can mutants really have? I mean, our parents lucked out, right?" she tossed the ball over her shoulder and it bounced off the fence. "I see where you're coming from, but I think you're giving them just a little too much crap."

She picked up the ball and tossed it back to him. Roman sighed, moving it from hand to hand again. "Maybe," he conceded quietly. "I just – something he said really bothered me." At Mira's questioning look he shrugged uneasily. "It's – nevermind, it's nothing."

The short girl moved up and took the ball from him without any effort, but she didn't move away, instead staying close and making him meet her eyes. "Roman," she said quietly. Just his name, but enough to make him shift uneasily.

"He acted like our parents and his dad weren't really all that different. And that our parents have killed people, too." He put the ball under one arm, balanced against his rib cage. "I mean, yeah, I know some stuff went down before we were all born, but… have you ever wondered what they haven't told us?"

Mira raised a brow. "Not really," she admitted. "My mom and dad are so goofy, it's kinda hard to get them to remember what happened like, yesterday. Much less twenty years ago."

He looked to her. "Do you know who Karai is?" She shook her head. "Me either," he responded, dropping the ball and letting it bounce away. "And that bothers me."

"Wish Papa Splinter was here," Mira said. "He'd know what to do." Roman nodded in agreement, moving away from the concrete slab that served as their court and falling into an old lawn chair. Mira joined him, sitting on top of his legs with her own splayed out in a very unladylike way, though it hardly mattered when she was wearing gym shorts that ran almost to her calves. The sight of it made Roman smirk a little.

"Look, I get why you don't trust Tanaka and his dad," she said, pulling off her backwards cap and shoving back her bushy hair. "And whatever you decide, you know I'm there." She looked over at him and they exchanged appreciative glances. "But you of all people should know that getting shit from strangers for a bunch of – I dunno, rumors and stuff, that isn't cool." She shifted to face him and dropped her legs over his from the opposite side of the lawn chair.

"You and Tanaka actually have a lot in common, man. And maybe that's kinda what bothers you."

Roman made an annoyed noise and rolled his eyes. "A lot in common, Mira? Like what?"

She kicked him. "Like, I don't know, mutant dad that yells a lot? Training since you were young? A totally blind devotion to what you believe? Not to mention the fact that he's, you know, half-human and half-mutant."

"That's what you are, stupid," he told her flatly. "Not me."

Mira rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I don't really deal with anything because of it. No one can look at me and tell I'm a mutant unless they can see my tail. And even then, I can totally bullshit my way out of that. But youuuuuuu," she pointed. "How many times a day do people stare at you, obviously trying to figure out what race you are?"

Roman dropped his eyes and shifted, huffing a little. "Every damn day," he muttered.

"And how many times do people decide that because you're black, you're this, or because you're white, you're this, or because they never see your dad, you're from some kind of broken home?"

Her cousin dropped his head back against the lawnchair.

"I'm just saying," she went on, her tone softening. "Tanaka's gotta deal with being two different things, too. You can tell he's freaked out whenever people look at him. Why? Because he's _obviously_ not just one thing or the other. Just like you."

The conversation fell away for a moment as Roman thought, his fingers absently moving along the lawnchair's arm. "Yeah," he said at last, bringing the same hand up to his chin and then pushing it up his face. "Okay, I can see that." He looked to her and his lips turned up at a smile.

"Why don't I ever just talk to you as soon as something starts bothering me, instead of sitting around thinking about it forever?"

Mira gave him her signature cheeky grin. "Because you're dumb, duh."

"Do I need to be nice to him?" he asked. Mira shrugged.

"Nah, just don't harass him." She paused and sniggered. "Besides, I think he's pretty distracted with Dani right now."

"That is so gross," Roman made a face and they both laughed. "That poor guy has no idea what he's in for."

"I dunno," Mira shifted on the chair and jumped on top of his legs, which made him grunt. "I think she actually really likes him." She ignored Roman's attempts to readjust his body so she wasn't crushing his legs – though in reality, he was more concerned about other bits of his lower half. As usual, Mira was oblivious.

"Which is weird, because she was her usual angry self with him at the beginning," she pointed out, smirk growing as Roman fought to push her off. "Hey! This is a concrete slab, not a playpen! Do not – shove – me!"

His response was to snatch her up on his shoulder and stand, her shrieks and yelps almost drowned out by his own laughter as he carried her inside and unceremoniously deposited her on the living room couch before heading out.

* * *

As soon as the city's skyscrapers and loud streets gave way fell away, Tanaka was already halfway out of the car window, delighted at the passing scenery.

"Get your head back in here!" Dani exclaimed, yanking on the back of his shirt. He ducked back in and blinked at the sudden absence of wind, his black hair even more hilariously strewn than usual. He grinned at her, completely unphased, though he stayed in his spot in the passenger seat like she asked.

Shaking her head, Dani looked back to the street and tried not to laugh as they zoomed down the highway in her dad's car.

 _Where are we going?_ He asked.

Dani adjusted her rearview mirror. "My parents own a farmhouse out in the country," she told him. "Every summer, we all go out there for like, a week. It's out in the middle of nowhere and we own all the property around it, so we don't have to worry about being spotted." She smiled at the thought of it. "It's really nice actually," she looked to him, to make sure he was watching her. He was, his own lips quirked.

"We swim and camp and hang out," she continued. A memory struck her and she laughed again. "And every year – okay, so this is really lame and dorky, but – we have this really intense badminton tournament, and it's like, a really a big deal who wins. And Auntie Aniyah is the only one who can give my dad and uncles a run for their money, and every few years, she just _smokes_ them. It's great, puts Uncle Raph right in his place."

She glanced over at him, and realized with an uncharacteristic bout of shyness that she'd been rambling. But Tanaka simply smiled, his eyes on her face as he watched her. When she was done, he signed, _That seems really nice._

"It is," she agreed, suddenly feeling nostalgic.

Silence fell over the car, but it was only a few minutes later that Dani turned onto the long gravel driveway that led to their farmhouse. Tanaka's wide eyes took in the scenery immediately, and she'd barely had time to park before he hopped out and turned in a circle, his features enchanted. Dani got out and chuckled.

"My parents love this place," she said, looking all around. "They got my married in Japan, but my Uncle Raph and Aunt Aniyah, they got married here. And Uncle Mikey and Aunt Mel, too." She giggled as she remembered, "I think this is where my parents even had their first real kiss."

Tanaka's gave her a fanged grin at that and turned, gaze instantly jumping to the massive oak tree that stood next to the lake. He glanced at Dani and then back to the tree, barely able to keep still. "Go," she gestured, the word barely out of her mouth before he took off and scaled the tree with ease.

He disappeared into the thick branches, a trail of shaking leaves behind him as he vanished entirely. Then he reappeared on a branch and smiled, extending a hand to her. Dani looked over the branch with a smirk. "I've got it," she said loftily, before jumping up and easily catching the branch, pulling herself up with a graceful shift and crossing her legs demurely at the knee.

Tanaka snickered before standing on the branch and leaping from one to the other with practiced ease. He peered through the foliage at the fading sun as it set beyond the lake, and for the next few minutes, they watched the sky shift from shades of orange to darker pinks, and then to purples and greys as night fell in earnest.

Once the sun had disappeared, Tanaka rejoined her on the branch under the light of the moon, which was brighter and fuller tonight than Dani had seen it in a long time. It was hard to appreciate the moon inside the city. The artificial lights tended to overwhelm its silver-toned rays, which was a shame.

Tanaka fell onto a space beside her and gestured. _Thank you for bringing me out here._

Dani shrugged, trying to hide her pleased smile. "It's no big deal," she said, looking over at him. Even if she hadn't had to face him for him to know what she was saying, Dani thought she might've had trouble looking away from him anyway. His expressions told her just as much, if not more, than his signs.

It was strangely wonderful.

He scanned her face as she fell silent, and with one hand, he reached up and touched her hair next to her face. Something about his features told her that he wasn't trying to s _ay_ anything with the gesture; he was simply curious. Then, in the same moment, Dani wondered if he had any idea about intimacy or even friendship. Tigerclaw kept him _very_ closed off from others. He might've never met a person close to his own age in his life.

As if answering her thoughts, he signed to her, _I'm glad I'm here with you._

Her lips turned in a smile. Whether he'd met many people or not, Tanaka's face was as open and earnest as anyone she'd ever met. And while she'd received plenty of compliments in her day, nothing had made her feel as though she had any right to believe them. Until now.

"I'm glad you're here too," she said softly, her shoulders curling as she continued a bit shyly. "I've never been able to just – be real with someone. I mean, without worrying about them finding out the truth about me and my family. They don't, I don't know," she shrugged. "… understand. About mutants, and training and ninjutsu. So, I always had to watch what I said, because I couldn't risk hurting someone in my family." She looked up at him and saw he was watching her even more carefully than usual, something thoughtful in his gaze. "I know that sounds weird," she bit her lip. "It's just – it's nice to be able to be around someone who…"

 _Listens?_ he signed with a smirk, and Dani laughed.

"Exactly." She tilted her head at him, and he looked to her curiously. "Tanaka – "

But she lost his attention when his gaze shifted to the lake, where wind pushed the water up on grassy banks in lazy rolls. Dani rolled her eyes a bit, but when he looked back to her almost pleadingly, she motioned. "Knock yourself out," she said dryly, unable to resist a giggle when he hopped off the branch and ran straight for the dock.

He didn't even pause before diving headfirst into the lake.

"Oh, for Christ's sake," she muttered when he didn't instantly resurface, jumping off the branch and hurrying to the dock, hoping he hadn't hurt himself somewhere below the dark lake water. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found, and Dani bit her lip in worry. "Tanaka?"

Suddenly, he leaped up out of the water right next to the water and made to grab her.

"STOP!"

Tanaka froze, his arms outstretched and his posture perfectly still in a hilariously mid-motion pose.

Dani smirked and calmly removed her Jimmy Choo's, as well as her purse, as it contained her phone. After checking herself carefully, she waved her hands. "Continue," she said, shrieking wildly when Tanaka snatched her off the dock and pulled her into the water with a laugh. They fell under the dark water before resurfacing.

"Holy hell, this water is cold!" she exclaimed, jumping away when Tanaka reappeared in front of her and shook his head, spraying her with water. "I thought cats didn't like water," she pointed out with a smirk, to which Tanaka rolled his eyes and swam forward.

 _Not a cat,_ he said, gesturing to himself. _Tiger._

"Oooh," she said, tapping her cheek. "My bad."

He swam around her, dropping below the surface of the water so that only his glinting eyes were visible. He couldn't speak with his hands hidden, but his eyes told Dani in no uncertain times to expect an attack. She tried to keep him in her sights, but he dropped silently beneath the water.

"Not fair," she said outloud, knowing he couldn't hear her. "I can't see in the da – Ahh!"

A pair of arms seized her beneath the water and pushed her up and out of the water with unnatural ease. Tanaka smirked at her from somewhere around her knees. Dani pretended to glare, but it was the hardest time she'd ever had _not_ laughing at someone. "Tanaka, I swear to god, if you throw me – "

His eyes darted side to side several times before he flashed her his most innocent smile. Then he tossed her with a little hop and scrambled away before she could resurface, which she did with a shriek. "Come here!" she hurried off after him, splashing wildly as he tried to get away. She jumped on his back from behind and ensnared him in her long arms, snickering when he pretended to thrash against her and then gave up, looking mournfully over his shoulder at her.

"You did this to yourself," she told him, before reaching for his hands. Before he'd even realized what had happened, Dani had jumped in front of him and pinned both hands behind his back. His eyes widened when he realized she actually had him in a grip that would take some effort to break. He certainly could, if he wanted, but he made no resistant movements.

His initial shock was quickly replaced by his most doe-eyed expression.

"Ooh, no, that's not going to work on me," she taunted, pressed close to his front, a movement he didn't miss judging from the flicker of his eyes. She had his hands pinned, so he couldn't sign, but he didn't seem to have any desire to. As it had many time before, his expression told her all she needed to know.

Dani's hands relaxed on the grips and her fingers spread, finding his own and unfurling them against his palm under the water behind him. He didn't try to move them away, and instead let her lace their fingers at the base of his spine. He wanted something, Dani was certain of that, but it seemed like even he wasn't sure what that was.

Leaning up, Dani pressed her lips to his gently, giving him time to pull away.

He didn't, but for the longest moment of Dani's young life, Tanaka hardly reacted at all. She drew back far enough to look at him, and he kept his eyes open, looking at her face.

His fingers moved first, tightening over hers under the water behind his back. Then he leaned forward and caught her lips with his in a surprisingly passionate kiss, one that Dani felt to the tips of her toes even as it slowed and the water shifted around them, their hands moving from behind Tanaka's back and lacing again at their sides.

One hand fell loose from Dani's and reached up, a thumb dragging damply across Dani's cheek in an unabashedly affectionate sweep. This time, the touch was not simply curious, but lingering, and Dani felt her freed hand move of its own accord and curl in the fabric of his shirt, pulling him close again until their mouths met.

When they finally pulled apart again, she smiled, her face still close to his, her heart thumping like it had never before in her life. She didn't want to leave the water – hell, she didn't even want to look away from his face, so pleased and excited and surprised all at the same time – but her body protested against the cold water, and Tanaka must have felt her shiver, because he pulled away with a soft smile and lifted himself up onto the dock. He extended both hands to her, and this time she accepted, letting him pull her straight up out of the water, which was a rather impressive feat considering her height.

Once they were both on the dock, Tanaka observed her for a moment before his lips quirked and he shook his entire body, spraying everything around them with water. Dani, who had been slightly distracted by the appreciation of how his wet shirt gripped to his torso, sputtered and gave him a Look. He grinned sheepishly, signing to her that he was sorry, but he was cut off by Dani giving her own vicious shake, her long hair spraying water like an out of control sprinkler.

She laughed outloud at his bewildered expression, before he started laughing himself and offered a hand to her once more. She took it, and together they left the dock and made the drive back to the city.

* * *

 _Russia, 2012_

"Status report."

"People are dead."

"Good," Tigerclaw rose from his crouch, where a pile of papers lay scattered next to a now open safe. He tucked them away in the file. "Don't forget to collect the ring from Morachev's body. Master Shredder wants evidence of what happens to those who dare leave New York City without giving him his share."

"Got it," Xever stooped, using one scaly talon to cut off the dead man's ring. He stood and observed the room thoughtfully, mutated eyes blinking in the semidarkness. Outside, the night sky ran deep. "Poor bastard. All these nice things…" he touched something shiny on the man's desk. "And nothing to show for it but a fat, rotting corpse."

Rahzar entered through the dark doorway of the home. "All these mobsters think they're untouchable 'cause they got all this money. Didn't do him a damn bit of good." He checked a device in his clawed hand. "We got less than five minutes before the law gets here."

Tigerclaw tucked away the files and nodded. "We should leave. Go, now."

"Wait!" Xever pointed to three house workers, tied up and gagged. "What should we do with the hired help?"

Tigerclaw grunted in annoyance. "Kill them," he said, turning away to leave. Xever gleefully did as he was told, pulling up a gun and finishing the three terrified housemaids with a blast each. The gruesome trio moved to leave, but Xever doubled back.

"Ooh, looks like we missed one!" he said behind Tigerclaw's back. The sound of a scuffle ensued. "OW! She kicked me! You little brat – "

"LET GO OF ME!"

Tigerclaw froze at the door.

Swiftly, he turned just in time to see Xever level a gun at the struggling housemaid. His motions were quickly arrested by Tigerclaw's large hand smashing into his head and pinning him painfully to the floor.

"Tg- craw – crush – throat – " Xever wheezed against the ground.

Tigerclaw looked up slowly, his eyes wide and his weight still bearing down Xever.

"… Tora?"

Emily stood directly in front of him, blond curls pinned back in a bun, her apron mussed from the struggle. Tigerclaw released Xever and stood without a word, his hands falling to his sides. He'd scarcely had a chance to process the woman in front of him before she dashed across the room and tackled him in a hug.

"Tora!" she exclaimed happily.

Xever and Rahzar looked to one another with equally aghast expressions. _Tora?_ One of them mouthed.

"I can't believe you're here!" Emily looked up at the motionless mutant. "I – It's been ages!"

Slowly, Tigerclaw extricated himself from her grip without returning the embrace. "Emily," he said gruffly, unable to hide his shock. "What are you doing here?"

She let herself be pulled away but remained close, completely uncaring of Rahzar and Xever nearby, who stood in stupefied silence. "Well, I work here, of course!" she said, adjusting her apron. "I knew the head housekeeper from when we used to travel to these parts with the shows. Don't you remember?"

"I... try not to," he admitted dryly. Glancing quickly at the other two, he turned his back to them and tried his best to obscure Emily from view. "You should not be here. You need to leave."

Emily frowned. "Leave? Where? I don't have anywhere else to go, Tora. I live here in the house."

Tigerclaw scowled softly. "Don't you have any living family still?"

Emily folded her arms. "Well, my papa is dead – "

"Good riddance."

He ignored her glare as she continued. "My aunt… She might take me in, but she lives back in Birmingham. And I don't really want to go live with her," but her words were cut short by Tigerclaw seizing her by the arm and pulling her away from the room full of bodies.

"Then that is where you are going. Come on."

"But Tora – "

The four of them exited the large manor and Tigerclaw gestured to the other two mutants. "Get the car ready," he snarled, and they hurried off, though not without their curious glances at Emily. He turned back to her, and for a moment, the sight of her caught him off guard.

As a teenager, Emily had been very pretty, though he'd done his best to convince himself otherwise. Now, as a young woman – it was really undeniable. He pushed past the thought. "I am taking you to a bus station. Now."

"Buses don't go from Russia to England," she pointed out with a great deal of defiance. Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes at her.

"The bus will take you to the airport. You will fly to England. And you will stay there."

"I haven't any money for an airplane ticket, Tora."

He scowled again, panic manifesting in a frustrated growl. "I will give you money, infernal woman! Just take it and go!" At his tone, Emily fixed him with one of her trademark looks, one which meant she was most likely going to make someone's life very, very difficult.

God, how little she had changed, thought Tigerclaw with no small amount of irritation.

She folded her arms and said haughtily, "You do realize, the buses don't run after ten pm." She pointed to her watch. "And it is currently – Oh, look at that. 10:13 PM."

Tigerclaw turned his increasingly hostile glare to the watch and then looked to her, his jaw tight. She had no idea the danger she was in.

"Tigerclaw!" called out Xever as he approached with Rahzar. "The law officials are closing in, and I do not want to end up in a jailhouse or operating table, so we should go."

"I'm sorry," said Emily, suddenly much more polite and sympathetic to Xever, of all damn creatures. "Tora wants to take me to a bus station, but they won't run again until morning." The two mutants looked at one another again, before Rahzar grunted.

"She can stay at the safehouse with us until then," the canine mutant suggested lightly, only recoiling a little under Tigerclaw's growl. "We can drop her off before we head back to the city."

"Oh!" Emily said, smiling disarmingly at Tigerclaw. "That would be wonderful. Thank you." With that, she turned and left Tigerclaw where he stood, climbing into the passenger seat of the open vehicle, which looked quite a bit like a dune buggy.

Trembling with rage, Tigerclaw stiffly climbed into the driver's seat of the car while Xever and Rahzar crammed in the back. The car started with a rumble and sped off, with the wind rushing by them as they found a long, empty stretch of road and cruised peacefully.

"Oh, I missed you so much," said Emily to Tora, patting his knee. "I can't believe you showed up – I mean, well. Why _were_ you there?" She paused. "I know my employer was a mobster. Very shady, but his wife was quite nice, and I liked the job well enough." She peered at Tigerclaw, who remained with his deeply hostile glare on the road. "Are you a lawman?"

"No," he said flatly.

"Oh," she said, completely unaffected by his tones. She peered over shoulder at the two mutants in the backseat. "I'm terribly sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Emily O'Malley," she extended a hand back to them, making the two mutants glance uncertainly at one another before Rahzar shook her hand first.

"Bradford," he said, sitting straighter in his spot. "Chris Bradford."

"And I – " the fish mutant cut in, taking Emily's hand and kissing it noisily. " – am Xever Montes, at your service." Emily giggled, even as Rahzar rolled his eyes.

"Give me a break," he muttered.

"Hey!" Xever pointed at him. "Do you know how long it's been since I've held the hand of a beautiful woman?"

"Since long before you were mutated, I'm sure," was Rahzar's reply.

Still giggling, Emily turned back in her seat to face the front. "Your friends are nice, Tora. You should – Oh, good heavens! What happened to your tail?" In the backseat, Rahzar and Xever burst into fits of barely stifled laughter as Tigerclaw's hands tightened on the wheel.

"It got cut off," he seethed quietly.

"Cut off?" Emily repeated, her blue eyes wide. "Oh, no! Who would do such a thing?"

The tiger mutant exhaled slowly. "A samurai," he grunted. "in a martial arts tournament."

"A samurai!" Emily gasped. "That's so frightening! Was he frightening?"

More poorly muffled laughter from the backseat. "He was a rabbit," muttered Tigerclaw darkly. Emily's eyes widened even more so, and she looked back to the two mutants for confirmation of her deep surprise.

"How strange!" She leaned back in her seat. "Though I'm not surprised you lost," she said sympathetically, before looking back at the other two. "Tora was _terrified_ of rabbits when he was young."

"EMILY!" Tora roared. The other two mutants wheezed with laughter in the backseat.

Of course, Emily didn't even flinch. "Oh, come now, Tora, it's not all that bad. I don't like rabbits either, their eyes, I think, are a bit scary." She patted his arm sympathetically, completely unconcerned. In the backseat, Xever leaned forward.

"Please, Miss O'Malley. Tell us more about young Tora," he grinned. "For example, was he… quite fluffy?"

Tigerclaw nearly ripped off the steering wheel. "I swear to God, I will drive this car off a cliff and _kill us all,"_ he told them lowly, and the rest of the car fell silent, though Emily's pink lips pursed with the effort not to smile.

At last, they reached a series of warehouses, placed next to a scrapyard with nothing else for several miles. The four passengers got out of the car and Tigerclaw held up a device, which revealed a numbered key lock. He typed in the password and a hidden door opened.

They stepped inside to reveal a dark but well furnishing foyer area. The walls were blank, as was most of the surface area in the kitchen to the left. A staircase sat off to the right, and Tigerclaw took Emily's shoulders in a gentle but unyielding grip and directed her to the stairs.

"Use the second room on the right," he told her, and she moved to climb the stairs before pausing and looking back at him uncertainly. He huffed. "I will be there in a moment. Just go."

Instantly relaxing into a smile, Emily went up the stairs and disappeared.

As soon as she was gone, Tigerclaw turned and slammed both Rahzar and Xever into the wall, his claws at their necks. "Breathe a word of this to Master Shredder," he leaned close, his fangs bared. "And I will personally collect your spines." He tightened his grip. "Is that clear?"

Xever gave him a thumb's up sign, his face discolored with a lack of oxygen. Rahzar grunted in the affirmative, and Tigerclaw dropped them both before turning and heading up the stairs.

Now alone, Tigerclaw took his time getting to Emily's room. The darkness allowed him a moment to pause, and he exhaled heavily, one heavy paw landing on the wall as he thumped it with a closed fist, his eyes closed. When he felt calmer, he moved to her door and knocked lightly. Her voice called him in, and he stepped inside.

Emily sat on the edge of a simple four-poster bed, and when she saw him standing in the doorway, her smile was instantaneous and brilliant. The effect of it froze him to his spot. He might've stayed that way if she hadn't risen from her spot and pulled him further inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her features shifting to concern. Tigerclaw shook his head to clear it.

"I am fine." He looked around the room. A bed, dresser and mirror were basically all that filled it. The safehouse was not a place of luxury, but of practicality and necessity. "Do you need anything?"

Emily held on to his paw but shook her head. "I don't suppose so. Everything seems to be fine."

He looked to her and nodded, pulling his hand away. "Then good night," he turned away, but Emily's squeak behind him stopped his trek.

"Tora! Aren't you going to stay and talk with me for a bit?" He heard her frown before he ever turned and saw it. "It's been – _years_. Can't you stay for a moment?"

For a moment, he said nothing. Then he shook his head. "No. Good night."

He moved to leave again, but Emily's voice stopped him once more, even as his hand lingered near the door handle. "Tora, I – I don't want you to go." She stepped up behind him, but didn't touch him again. "Please. I – " The sound of her voice behind him in the dimly lit room made it all too easy to imagine her drooped shoulders and sad eyes.

"I missed you," she whispered.

Another sigh rose deep in his chest, and he closed his eyes briefly. When he spoke, his voice was rougher than he'd meant it.

"As a _pet_ ," he said disdainfully.

The noise Emily made behind him was distressed, but when she marched behind him and slammed a hand on the door to prevent him from leaving, her face was clenched with anger. "How _dare_ you? I _never_ treated you as a pet," she choked out, eyes filled with hot tears. "But if you want to appease your conscience by pretending as though I did, then so be it!"

She let go of the door and marched up to him, her head lifted high to meet his gaze directly. "But that is your mistake, not mine," she declared with a wave of her hand. She stepped around him and went back to the bed with a barely suppressed sob.

Tigerclaw stayed at the door with his back to her, and he considered leaving, even now. He could end this conversation, send her on her way tomorrow, and be done with it.

Instead, he turned sharply to face her.

"Emily," he growled, his own chest heaving even as he fought to keep his tones even. She looked up at him. "I work for _a very dangerous_ criminal organization – one which I am becoming increasingly convinced is run by a man who is quite insane!" He advanced to the bed, where Emily stood, facing him without fear.

"You are in danger just by being here," he told her, bending his head low to hers. "I cannot tell you anything. I should not even be here – and you, you certainly should not! I have done enough to endanger you, so please, do not ask me to do more!"

Nothing was said for a moment, as Emily simply looked up at him, her eyes shining. Then she stepped forward and took his hand again, her own quite small against it. "If I'm already in danger, then what harm is there in you staying here with me? Just for a few minutes?" Tigerclaw remained still as she moved closer, her head falling lightly against his front.

"You don't have to say anything. I don't need to know about your life, if you don't want." She turned her face up to his again. "I just miss you being by my side, is all."

Tigerclaw fought to think past the sensation of her head against his chest or her hand in his. "Emily…"

"Did you miss me at all?" she asked softly, her arms wrapping around his torso as she pressed her cheek to the fabric of his shirt, a new sensation for her, when she'd only felt fur before. "Did you?"

Tigerclaw fell silent, but after letting her hold him for a while, he brought his arms up around her. The grip was loose and noncommittal at first, but the warmth of her torso invited him to pull her in tighter, and he did.

"Yes," he finally admitted, the single word quiet and gruff.

One of her small hands lifted and found his front, tracing the buttons. He'd taken off his vest, guns and scarf before entering, and it left him only in the collared shirt and pants. She must've thought it very strange, after so many years of seeing him without a shred of clothing. Then again, a lot had changed since then, his physique not least of all.

Time and training had left their impressions on his musculature. Shoulders that he'd constantly hunched in an effort to avoid notice at the circus were now as rounded and broad as any grown man's. And now, as he looked down at her, he realized she'd hardly grown in height at all, while he had.

Maturity, though, had changed Emily's face quite a bit. And while the sweet features of her childhood were still there, they'd refined into a stunning quality that was nothing else if not distracting.

Emily pulled away and tugged on his arms, moving to the bed and folding up her legs. "Come sit with me," she invited softly. Tigerclaw followed, unable and unwilling to move against her will. He'd stopped sharing a bed with her quite a long time ago, even before leaving the circus.

As she moved to lie back against the pillows, and he shifted onto the bed with her, he knew that he'd been right to do it. Because he'd known, even then, that childhood was one thing but growing up meant having someone like Emily, who embodied all the few and beautiful things he thought worthwhile in the world, lying right next to him – it was more than he deserved and wicked to hope for.

He lowered himself to his side right next to her, but Emily turned to face him and the motion pulled them close. Her hand returned to his front and traced the line of the shirt, down the center, her blue eyes never missing a detail.

"How did you feel," she inquired in a whisper, "when you saw me today?"

Her eye lifted to his, even as he remained still and silent. She was rewarded for her patience when he finally spoke.

"Afraid," he answered, his voice equally quiet.

Her fingers moved to the collar of his shirt. "Why?" she asked, drawing along the crisp edges she found there. He reached up a hand and caught hers, curling her small digits in his but not moving them away.

"Because my first instinct will always be to protect you," he murmured. "Even when I should put my focus elsewhere."

Her expression lifted into a smile, though it smoothed away at his obvious distress, subdued as it was. Pulling their joined hands close between them, Emily moved close and pressed her forehead to his. "Old habits, I suppose."

"Loyalty," he corrected tenderly, tilting his head to nuzzle her. Emily opened her eyes, and Tigerclaw did the same.

"Is that all?" she asked, eyes searching his face. "You missed me out of loyalty?"

He looked to her, knowing he should move away, leave the room. He didn't, of course. Powerless against Emily, as he'd always been.

"No," he answered truthfully.

At this, Emily's expression shifted, and her eyes roamed his face before she moved to lie flat on her back. With their joined hands, she tugged him until he lay partially over her. His guarded expression peered down at her, but she moved her hands away from his and over his arms, until they rested on his shoulders. With a gentle pull, she closed the distance between them.

Tigerclaw's first instinct was to pull away, but something stilled him, and not just her small arms moving around his neck, or the warmth of her mouth against his. It was the exhilarating, terrifying, borderline painful burst of feeling in his chest, one that coiled lower and lower until it reached his stomach and spread to his limbs.

Emily's lips left his, but he pulled an arm around her and lifted her away from the mattress until she arched against him, a throaty noise escaping her, one which Tigerclaw felt echo in his mind, unending. Her arms caught him again and when she fell back to the mattress, Tigerclaw moved with her, flush against her.

"Tora," she murmured breathlessly, turning her head to deepen the kiss.

Instinct and desire battled for control of his movements, and Tora blindly let his hand wander until it closed on Emily's hip, where the thin fabric of her dress teased of the skin underneath.

Emily's hand jumped to his arm and slid up his sleeve, until she reached the collar of his shirt. Her fingers found their way between them and she unbuttoned the top of his shirt, quickly taking each one after in rapid succession. When the buttons were done, Tigerclaw pulled away and shrugged off the shirt entirely, letting it drop to the side without a glance.

Emily's fingers wasted no time finding his now bare chest, heavier with muscle than she would undoubtedly remember it, though she seemed determined to memorize it with her touch as they moved close once more. One of her legs moved up and slipped over his, and overwhelming desire of their bodies pushed them together in a slow grind that threatened to shred Tigerclaw's resolve for catering to Emily's slight figure beneath his.

His hands dove into her hair as he'd shamefully imagined doing before, but never, even in his daydreams, could he have imagined the noise of pleasure she'd make when he did so.

When her hands shifted away from him, he drew back just enough to watch as she gripped her dress at the back of her neck and pulled away the snap, fingers moving to the sleeves and tugging it down the length of her arms, until the front fell away and she lifted her hips to remove it entirely.

Inch by inch of skin revealed itself, and Tigerclaw looked back up to her face, his own caught in a rare mask of undisguised amazement. Their motions slowed in unison, and Emily reached up, pulling him to her until he kissed her deeply, her name on his lips more than once as he fought to keep himself in the moment, not adrift in a sea of incredulity.

Nimble fingers found his belt and the top of his pants, and within moments, Emily pushed it all away and Tigerclaw shifted off of her just enough to let it fall. Hesitation threatened in that moment, when the last of Emily's undergarments were pulled away and it was only her bare skin against him. Desire for her tugged at every bit of his consciousness, and the evidence of it pressed against her in unquestionable longing.

"Emily," he said, his voice strained, because the effort to keep himself at bay was almost more than even his steel resolve could handle, but he would not risk it, he would not.

But Emily, far from denying him, curled an arm at his shoulder and dropped her lips to his chest, mouth parted against the thin fur covering the defined muscles of his torso. "Please," she whispered.

Tigerclaw took her hip in his hand once more, one of her legs pulled up next to his body as he positioned himself against her and pressed inside, with the sort of painstaking slowness that tore away at his sanity. Emily melted into his touch, her body pulling him at him in every conceivable way. Tigerclaw reached forward and wrapped her in one large arm, his head falling to her chest as he let her adjust, but it was mere moments before she pushed her hips at him and they both groaned, bodies joined.

When he began to thrust into her, he found himself grateful Emily didn't have claws like his.

Every delightful noise that left her was punctuated by her tight grip on his shoulders, her fingers curled deep into his back, adding to the cocktail of pleasure and bliss every time he pushed into her. The scent of her arousal hit him in that instant, he sped up, something miraculous and diligent in the back of his mind keeping him from moving too fast, going too hard, hurting her. The writhing woman beneath him seemed far less concerned, her eyes closed as she slid her hands up his chest and then gripped his biceps, not quite able to wrap her fingers fully around them.

Suddenly, she pulled herself up, away from the mattress so she could kiss him sitting up-right. Tigerclaw took her torso in his arms and yanked her tight against him, earning a pleased groan. They both slowed, and Emily rolled her hips against him in a languid, sensual motion that set Tigerclaw's body on fire. Her hand moved to the side of his face and traced there, and he responded by pulling a large hand to the back of her neck and nuzzling her once before kissing her again.

She whispered his name once, her voice trembling, and that was all it took for Tigerclaw to press her against the bed once more and rock against her until her toes curled and her body tightened. She tossed an arm over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her cry, but Tigerclaw heard it as clearly as a bell ringing at noon. His body reacted instantly, and his climax rushed over him in an uncontrollable wave of desire, affection and intensity.

Their heavy breathing and spent bodies kept them from speaking for several moments, but he had known Emily for a very long time, and he didn't need her to speak to know she was feeling such as emotionally volatile as he was.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would take her to the bus station, leaving her with enough money for a plane ticket and the promise she would use it.

But for now, as he looked over at her curled against his torso and tucked into his arm, he decided they could rest.

* * *

Author's Note: oh my goooooooooooddddddddddddddd, this turned into over 8000 words, wHAT have I Done.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: oh my goddddddd. I have so many feelings about Zootopia. I also had a blast at FWA this weekend. Needed more turtles, though.

* * *

 _England, May 2012_

Damn it. He'd nearly forgotten how much he hated the rain here.

Stooping low beneath an awning, Tigerclaw reflected grimly on his earliest memories of mud under paw and grimy wet fur, matted from the rain. Now, as he peered out from his hiding space, he found that the fabric of his soaking wet clothes was hardly a more pleasant experience.

Tigerclaw looked to the address written on a slip of paper, which he guarded against the damp weather. This was supposed to be it, the place Emily had told him six months ago was the home she'd wanted to share with her aunt. He'd left her without a single promise, not even an indication that he cared what happened after he left her at the bus station that day. But it wouldn't hurt anything to check up on her, he reasoned. She would never know. And it would give him the tiniest bit of relief, to know she had arrived here safe and well.

Unfortunately, when Tigerclaw came to the dank neighborhood where Emily's address led him, he found it quite shabby and nearly abandoned. The front door bearing the numbers of her aunt's home showed an eviction notice. Tigerclaw huffed underneath the hood of his rain coat, which shielded his face against the rainy night.

Emily was not here.

A frustrated part of himself wanted to simply leave, but he couldn't return to New York City without knowing, at the very least, that Emily had a roof over her head. The rest of the night became devoted to searching her out, all throughout the city. He'd nearly given up hope when he finally located her.

Stepping out of a laundry mat, wrapped in a heavy rain coat, Emily tucked her face against the rainy wind and shuffled through the streets alone. Tigerclaw watched from the shadows, frowning as he noticed her quick steps lead her further and further into neighborhoods even less appealing than the one her aunt had lived in. After several minutes of walking through the flooded streets, Emily came to a run-down boarding house and stepped inside.

Now firmly invested in this turn of events, Tigerclaw maneuvered around the building until he spotted, through the dirty, unwashed windows, Emily's ascent up a winding set of stairs. She stopped in a very small room at the top of the building and Tigerclaw hopped to a window which allowed him to peek through thin, moth-bitten curtains.

Inside, Emily sighed heavily and dropped her bag, turning away from Tigerclaw as she pulled off the sodden raincoat. Her miserly expression reflected in a small wall mirror, and Tigerclaw peered closer at the unhappy edges of her face. Her shoulders sagged for a moment, her hands moving up to rake over her face before she began to prepare for bed.

When she turned in the direction of the window, Tigerclaw nearly off of the building.

She was pregnant.

Instead of tumbling five stories to the ground below, Tigerclaw lurched through the window, though he managed to catch his footing and instead landed heavily on one bent knee in the small room before he hurried to stand flee.

It was too late. Emily stared, lips parted in surprise, her hands frozen mid-motion as they went to reach for her swollen belly.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke, only the pitter patter of rain outside making any kind of dent into the painful silence. Tigerclaw spoke first, though he probably shouldn't have.

"Did you sleep with someone right after you got off the plane?" he asked darkly.

Because, so far as he could tell, she was quite far along.

The young woman in front of him blinked, obviously confused, before comprehension dawned and her features sharpened into a dangerous fury. Her small hands grappled for the first thing they could find – a landline telephone – and she hurled it at his head, which he dodged.

"Oh, you stupid, furry git!" she shouted, thoroughly alarming Tigerclaw. " _It's yours_!"

Tigerclaw straightened from his defensive crouch and rolled his eyes at her. "Don't be stupid."

"ARGH!" A jewelry box this time, which he only barely managed to avoid, crashed into the wall and scattered its contents everywhere.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he exclaimed.

"Just get out, Tora!" she cried out, wiping angrily at her tears. "I didn't expect you to come back, and I don't need you now! Just – just go!"

"Emily," he advanced a step, but paused at her glare. "What you are saying is _impossible_."

She pulled away and sat heavily on the squeaky bed, tears hot on her flushed cheeks. She wiped at them with a soft whimper. "Yes, well, that's what I thought as well, but it's true. It can't be anyone else's."

The large mutant paused, realization slowly sinking in as silence fell over them. A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but the one that came through first was, unfortunately, not what Emily wanted to hear.

"You must get rid of it," he said at last, his voice low and even.

Emily's head of blond curls jumped up, and her blue eyes narrowed on him. "Get _rid_ of it? Tora, how – how dare you say that – "

"What you are carrying isn't human," he argued heatedly, moving close. "If the wrong sort of person hears about it, you could end up as someone's experiment."

"What are you talking about?" asked Emily tearfully, her expression stricken. Her arms jumped around her stomach protectively. "Of course I know it isn't human, but…" She breathed in to prevent a sob. "I can't just get rid of it, Tora! I'm six months pregnant, I can't – "

She stood and set her features in a tight grimace. "If something terrible is going to happen, then I accept responsibility for it. But I am not just – throwing it away, Tora." She dropped her eyes, some of her anger melting away into exhaustion. Tigerclaw watched, unable to look away.

"If you want to leave," she said quietly. "Go. You don't have to protect me anymore. And you don't have to do anything for… us." Tigerclaw moved around her slowly, hands clenched at his sides.

"You do realize, it is very unlikely this … offspring," he grimaced past the word, "will survive birth. You will have put yourself in this position for nothing."

Her eyes lifted to his. "I've made my decision."

They observed one another coolly for a moment before Emily moved away and began preparing for bed again, as though he wasn't there. Tigerclaw barely withheld a frustrated growl.

"Why are you even in this place? Where is your aunt?"

Emily pulled back the sheets of the bed, her face a mask of indifference. "She was destitute when I got here. I told her about the money you gave me, and I promised I would help her. Then she stole it and ran off, leaving me here with nothing." She straightened away from the bed. "So there. I'm a fool. You don't have to say it."

She sat on the bed with a small wince as she came off her feet.

Tigerclaw shook his head, but calling her a fool was the furthest thing from his mind. If anyone had been a fool, it was him, for thinking he could let her into his life for one night and then let her go again. Instead, what had he done? Thought about her every single day for the last half a year, driving himself to the point of distraction, until now, here he was, with a dilemma that gripped him in a fear unlike anything he'd encountered in his life.

At last, he moved to her bed again and stood in front of her. She glanced up, but she kept her face turned away from him, determined to glare.

"I have a property," he told her, careful to keep his voice even and free of sentiment. "If you will let me take you there, you will be safe and cared for." Her eyes shifted to his, surprised. Fingers twisting in her lap, Emily bit her lip uncertainly.

"Where is it?" she asked softly. Tigerclaw straightened and folded his arms.

"Japan."

* * *

 _Tap tap._

Tanaka rapped on the laboratory table with a smirk, causing Tigerclaw to look up from his work with a great deal of annoyance. His son, seemingly unperturbed by his glare, hopped onto a table and placed his hands in his lap.

"Where have you been?" grumbled Tigerclaw.

 _With Dani._

This earned a deep scowl. "Why is it that every time I can't find you, it's because you're with that damn girl?" Tigerclaw left the tools he'd been tinkering with on the table and grabbed up his bowl of food, suspicious gaze still on Tanaka, who shrugged.

 _I like her,_ he told Tigerclaw with a smile.

Tigerclaw scowled. "You should stay away from her. That girl is trouble."

Tanaka raised a brow. _How do you know?_

"Because," Tigerclaw growled emphatically, "I knew her _mother_ when she was that age, and you should have seen the things she put that fool turtle through." He gulped down some food. "I almost felt bad for him."

Judging from Tanaka's bemused expression, he hadn't made much of an impact, so Tigerclaw waved him away.

"Go get the equipment ready. I've got Hun's location. We're closing in on him tonight."

Tanaka nodded and hopped down from the table, disappearing out of the lab. Tigerclaw finished his food and turned back to his devices, as well as a set of blueprints, which he studied carefully. Across the lab, Luka entered quietly.

Tigerclaw looked up. "You! Cub!" he called out. Luka froze. "Which one are you?"

"Luka," the boy answered. At Tigerclaw's blank stare, he went on, "Leonardo's son."

"Come here. I require your assistance."

Luka shuffled forward dutifully, and Tigerclaw observed him before reaching out and pulling out his arms in a tee. "Stand still," he demanded, before proceeding to layer object after object on him, all of which somehow related to the blueprints he was looking at. He seemed to be modeling some sort of layout, occasionally muttering to himself as he did so, though he didn't bother to explain it to Luka.

Ten minutes later, Luka's outstretched limbs, shoulders, hands and even the top of his head all had notes, electrical devices or makeshift weapons balanced on them, which was how Leonardo found them when he entered.

He stopped next to the pair. "Are you… using my child as a shelf?" he asked, eyebrow ridge raised.

"Mine is busy," Tigerclaw didn't even look away from what he was working on. "And yours is better at standing still." Leo shook his head.

"What are you even doing?"

"Planning," said the large mutant. "Tanaka and I are moving in on Hun as soon as it grows dark." Leo frowned. "And before you say anything," went on the tiger with a growl. "I don't need your turtle scouts to help us. So tell those overzealous cubs of yours to stay back."

"We're supposed to work as a team on this, Tigerclaw," countered Leo.

Tigerclaw observed something on Luka's arm and moved it. "Not for Hun," he said lowly. Luka's eyes darted around and he wavered in his spot.

"Uh, Tigerclaw-san? I don't think I can hold anything else," he said.

Tigerclaw studied him critically. "He's right," said the tiger, before looking at Leo. "Do you have any more children?"

The turtle rolled his eyes. "No."

"Very well," Tigerclaw finished whatever strange operative planning he had and removed the items from the relieved Luka. "You did a fine job," he told him, before placing a device in his hand. "This is your reward. It is a high-powered Taser capable of incapacitating an enemy from over two hundred feet away."

Luka looked fearfully at the device in his hand. "I came in here for a pencil sharpener," he whispered.

His father snatched the device away, replaced it with a pencil sharpener and then shoo'd Luka out of the room. "He doesn't need this," he told Tigerclaw, waving the Taser. "He's twelve."

"Are you suggesting a twelve year old is incapable of using a Taser?"

Leonardo only stared in reply, so Tigerclaw moved away and continued his work without bothering to make an excuse or end the conversation properly. After a moment, the turtle simply shook his head and left the lab, secretly wondering how in the hell Tanaka even turned out as normal as he had.

* * *

Night fell.

Tigerclaw and Tanaka readied their gear, but Roman hovered nearby, watchful. Mira peered around his elbow. "So we're really not going with them? What do you think they're going to do?" she asked Roman, who narrowed his eyes.

"Cause trouble," he muttered. Dani, Damy and Luka stood just behind the eldest two, watching from a safe distance.

"Give them a break," Dani muttered at last. "They're going after Hun. Isn't that what they're supposed to be doing?"

"We're supposed to be working together. If they don't want us there with them, it's because they're not planning on doing things the right way," Roman countered quietly, but Dani simply rolled her eyes. When she looked across the lair, she saw Tanaka watching her.

Dressed in the battle gear she'd first met him in, he looked every bit as dangerous as he had that night, guns tucked in his holsters and dark, thick material of his armor reaching up nearly to his chin. He caught her eye across the room and winked at her once, devious quirk of his lips in place before he pulled up his partial mask.

"Dani? Dani!" Mira waved a hand in front of her face.

"Uh – W – Wait, what?" the redhead turned to the face the rest of the group, only to realize they'd been staring at her. Roman folded his arms and settled her with his most disapproving stare.

"I just – " she cleared her throat and edged way. "Thirsty."

She disappeared out of the room.

* * *

 _Japan, June 2012_

Sunlight pressed at her eyes, but Emily resisted at first, unused to such a bright morning.

Rolling over on her side, she extended a hand and felt smooth, clean sheets glide against her bare arm, where even the tips of her fingers didn't yet reach the end of the plush material beneath her.

Emily opened her eyes.

"Oh my god…" she murmured, sitting up slowly in the bed with a quiet rustle of the sheets. Warm golden rays illuminated the room without the help of the artful lighting overhead. The bedroom itself extended further than her entire apartment in England, and the walls were tall and wide, stark white and carefully maintained. Matched furniture styled the room with ornate, dark woods, and an elegant mirror directly in front of her four-poster bed reflected her shocked features back to her.

Slipping out of the bed with bare feet, Emily moved to the large glass doors to her left. She pushed them open and stepped outside to cool, clean air and a sky as blue as any she'd ever seen. When she walked to the balcony's edge, she realized she was a floor up from the bottom of a large home, and a set of stairs to her right moved down to the grassy lawn.

Her mind reeled with the beauty of the scenery in front of her, so distracted by the stunningly arranged landscape in front of her that she nearly missed Tigerclaw, who sat just next to a garden, arms and legs folded in a meditative stance. His eyes were closed, but when Emily moved to shuffle down the steps to the green grass, he opened his eyes and watched her until she stopped in front of him and moved to her knees with a great deal of effort, considering her large belly.

"Tora," she said, her voice soft with amazement. "Where are we? The last I remember, I fell asleep in the car after the airport."

Tigerclaw lowered his hands into his lap. "This is my property," he told her with a glance at their surroundings. "I acquired it a few years ago. I spend little time here, but it is safe for you." He looked over his shoulder, pointing beyond the gardens. "The area is remote, but there is a village about five miles away, which you can visit for things you may need." He paused before adding stiffly, "The village also has a midwife. You will want to meet her soon."

Emily opened her mouth to speak, her blue eyes wide, but she was interrupted by a Japanese woman who moved nearby. The woman must have seen them, but she was busy tending to the garden, and she didn't speak. Tigerclaw followed Emily's fearful gaze.

"I have hired all the staff here myself. I may come and go as I please without trouble," he assured her.

Emily looked back to him. "I can't believe this," she admitted, turning her gaze all around again. "It's… beautiful. Thank you, Tora." She bit her lip. A thought occurred to her. "Will you… ever be here?"

He looked her over. "From time to time," he answered tonelessly. He forced himself to look away as emotion flickered over Emily's features, but she said nothing. At last, he added, "I will try to be here as soon as … it … is born."

Emily's lips jumped at a smile. "Thank you," she said again, her voice soft. When Tigerclaw pointedly looked past her, unwilling to meet her gaze, Emily edged forward in the grass and reached forward, taking his paw in her hand. His body struggled against the inclination to turn towards her, but Emily, insistent as ever, moved in his line of sight and raised both brows.

"Do whatever makes you happy, Tora. This home is yours, not mine. Come and go as often or as seldom as you wish."

His gaze slid over to her, but words failed him, so he simply nodded.

Emily gave him the relief of silence for nearly ten minutes, most of which she spent looking around the garden from her spot. Then Tigerclaw stood, and she looked up at him. "Before you leave," she said, knowing well his preparation for leaving in a hurry, as if the situation suddenly was more than he felt he could handle. "Can you show me around the home?"

Tigerclaw shifted. "I am rarely here, Emily."

"Well, surely you must know more than me?"

He exhaled, turning to look down at her. "Fine," he grunted, before watching her make an earnest effort to get up from the ground. It didn't seem to be working out for her – though she tried – so he finally just stooped down and scooped her up off the grass, situating her comfortably in his arms.

"Oh, thank you, Tora!" she smiled suddenly and let her head fall on his shoulder. "I'm like one of those Weeble Wobbles," she said, before sighing dramatically. "Except I _do_ fall down."

Tigerclaw stared at her in his arms. "There is something wrong with you," he told her with great certainty, walking them both inside even as Emily giggled.

"How many years have you been waiting to tell me that, hm?"

"Several _,"_ he muttered dryly, before walking her inside the home.

* * *

Author's Note: I was originally planning on including the meeting with Hun in this, but I decided that would run too long. So, next chapter! You get TC/Emily fluff instead.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Whoo, building up to the big showdown! Hang in there with me, guys.

* * *

 _Japan, September 2012_

He'd rushed all the way from New York City – gotten away as soon as it was feasible without arousing suspicion from Master Shredder – and nearly given himself a heart attack the entire trip halfway across the world.

But now, as Tigerclaw stood at the door to his home, he hesitated.

At last, he entered the home and left the late afternoon sun behind him, closing the front door and nodding to the housekeeper who passed him. When he was certain all indications of panic were gone from his features, Tigerclaw climbed the stairs towards Emily's bedroom. He heard her soft voice before he saw her.

"… 'the little green worm? said Mother Bear'," she read aloud from her bed, as Tigerclaw moved to the open doorway. "'Little Bear laughed. No, he said, it is Emily. Emily and I are friends.'"

The real Emily laughed and looked back to her upraised knees, and as Tigerclaw entered the room, he saw movement there. It was then that she noticed him, and her smile grew. "Tora," she said, beckoning him forward. He entered cautiously, rounding the edge of the bed as Emily set the book aside and pulled a swaddle of blankets into her arms.

"Look, Tora. Here he is," she murmured, shifting it into view, her features pink and happy. "Your perfectly healthy son."

Tigerclaw glanced at her just long enough to know that she was being a bit smug, but he saved the effort of rolling his eyes and instead sat on the edge of the bed, his movements slowed with wonder. The image in front of him was surreal.

The infant she held was small, with plump, pale cheeks and squirming limbs. Dark hair, and when his eyes opened, startling cat-like pupils.

Tigerclaw leaned back in surprise, looking quickly to Emily. She laughed softly. "Amazing, isn't he?" she asked, bringing up a hand to brush back a tuft of jet black hair from the infant's face. "Looks more like you than he does me, for certain." The baby mewled and swatted with gloved fists at his face before settling into his deep slumber, unconcerned about Tigerclaw's arrival.

Tigerclaw, on the other hand, could scarcely look away.

He hadn't spoken a single word since entering, but the disbelief finally faded and he regained the power of speech once more. "Is he… well? Does he – " Tigerclaw didn't really know what babies did or didn't do, so he didn't know what to ask, but Emily seemed to understand, as she so often did.

"He eats and sleeps well," she said tenderly, stroking the infant's cheek. "And he was a good weight at birth." She made a face. "He certainly took his time, though. I was in labor for hours and hours."

Tigerclaw glanced over at her. "Were you alone?" he asked, with only the slightest hint of concern in his tone. Emily picked up on it easily and she gave him a small smile.

"No, I wasn't alone. The midwife was here, and Akiko and Jun. They were all very kind and sweet."

The pair looked back to the infant. "But since you weren't here," Emily went on, "and – _ahem_ , did not even believe he would survive birth – " she eyed him, and this time, Tigerclaw did roll his eyes. "You lost your naming privileges."

"Dare I even ask what you named him?"

"You should be happy! I gave him a Japanese name." She looked back to the infant. "His name is Tanaka."

Tigerclaw briefly closed his eyes, and the rare effort to suppress a smile actually made him grimace. "What?" Emily asked, giving him a glare. "That's a perfectly good name, isn't it?"

Tigerclaw raised a brow at her. "Tanaka is a family name, not a first name," he said, his normally grave features a bit amused. The woman next to him huffed.

"No, that can't be right,I read – there was this author, and I know it said – " she stopped, then slapped a hand over her face. "Oh, no. The names are reversed. I forgot!" Tigerclaw shook his head at her, and then raised a hand, which he dropped to her shoulder and let brush into her hair.

"Tanaka will work fine," he reassured her, and Emily pouted for a moment before she looked down to the baby and smiled.

"Tanaka. See? I told you it would all work out, didn't I, little one?" she brushed back his hair again. "My handsome little boy." She leaned forward and kissed his head, before relaxing against Tigerclaw's shoulder. He looked to her thoughtfully before shifting his gaze back to the infant, whose little hands were wrapped up in some kind of gloves. To prevent him from scratching himself, Emily explained later.

It looked so unexpectedly normal. And yet, the signs of mutation were there.

The eyes, for one, were a bright, almost neon green, pupils narrow and sinister like a cat's. The faint appearance of stripes. The sharp little claws. Even his hair looked like Tora's had, many, many years ago, before the Kraang had taken him. Emily was right, Tanaka didn't look very much like her.

But he _was_ her, Tigerclaw knew in that moment. Much more than he was like him. And that, he decided as Emily picked up the book and began to read once more, was a very good thing.

* * *

Hun's operations hadn't changed much over the years.

He'd made an effort to elude Tigerclaw after the incident in the tunnels, but his gang activities meant he was still forced to maintain some sort of presence, a schedule of enforcement.

And soon, he'd be here, thought Tigerclaw. His claws curled tightly over the top of the gun at his hip. That sorry bastard. Tigerclaw had warned him what would happen if he betrayed him. And tonight, Tigerclaw was getting answers. Tanaka sat patiently at his side, the stillest he'd ever been. He knew how to be invisible when it counted. It was something he had been trained to do from a very young age.

Some distance away, another group waited.

"Why are we watching them?" whispered Dani. "Tigerclaw told us not to follow them."

Roman, at the head of the group, stared hard at the perch where he knew Tigerclaw and Tanaka were hiding, high above a set of warehouses. They, too, were crouched in the shadows, weapons at the ready.

"Because I don't trust Tigerclaw," Roman said firmly. "I want see what he does."

As it turned out, they didn't have to wait long. Purple Dragons began to flood into the area, and before long, Hun himself rode up in a vehicle with blacked out windows. He got out, flanked by men on both sides, and entered the warehouse. From their hidden spot, Roman and the others saw the barest hint of movement. Tigerclaw and Tanaka were moving in.

"Come on," Roman gestured to the four other teens, and they followed dutifully until they reached the warehouse. He led them up and above, climbing to the high rafters so they could peer down at the dimly lit open room, stacked high with crates and other junk.

Down below, Hun handed off some money to one of the other men, giving him strict orders on what to do with it. Other men paced the area, guns in hand. For nearly twenty minutes, nothing happened, and Roman secretly considered that maybe Tigerclaw and Tanaka didn't plan to reveal themselves to Hun after all. Maybe they really just wanted information.

 _BOOM._

One large explosion was quickly followed by nearly ten smaller ones, following the line of the buildings so that each of the armed men pacing the perimeter were blasted off their feet, sometimes landing in a dozen different spots.

Roman's eyes widened. At his side, Mira and the others flinched, including Luka, who looked away from the sight. A vile curse entered Roman's mind. _God damn it, Tigerclaw._

It was then that the other two mutants rushed in – all methods of stealth, skill and ease employed, with no inefficient movements or wasted ammunition. It truly was a marvel, watching them move together as effortlessly as can be imagined. Tigerclaw dropped down and shot three gang members in quick succession, with Tanaka falling right behind him, rolling to the left and disarming two more, snatching their arms when they went to strike at him and cracking the limbs behind the men's torsos before they collapsed to the floor.

Hun barely wasted a moment on surprise before he turned to flee, gun in hand, but Tigerclaw and Tanaka moved through his men like a knife through butter. Tanaka ducked beneath one gunshot, rolled up to the man and shot him in the stomach, which left such a clear and vivid hole in the other man's torso that even Roman felt the need to look away.

Hun tried to escape, but while Tanaka dispatched the last of the Purple Dragons, Tigerclaw leaped forward with a growl and tackled him to the ground, one large hand jumping to Hun's throat and pinning him there.

On the roof, Roman scowled. "Stay here," he told the others, and when Mira opened her mouth to protest, he shot a meaningful look at Luka's horrified face. "Stay. Here." Mira sighed heavily but nodded.

"Be careful," she told him lowly. Roman nodded and moved through the opening in the roof, dropping down a platform and a pile of crates.

Unfortunately, Hun's oxygen was waning under the weight of Tigerclaw's grip. He coughed and sputtered, but when he looked up at Tigerclaw, his expression was only dark amusement. "Go ahead and kill me," he gasped out. "It won't stop them."

"Who?" snarled Tigerclaw. "Who is coming after us?"

Hun coughed against the tight grip. When he spoke, his voice was raspy and quiet, so that Tigerclaw had to lean forward to hear him.

"Should have… never… betrayed Shredder…" rasped out Hun. Tigerclaw's eyes widened in response, his jaw clicking tightly. Hun's bloodshot eyes slid slowly in the direction of Tanaka, who stood next to them. "Gonna lose… what little you got left…"

"Tigerclaw!" Roman shouted, reaching out a hand, but his voice was lost to the tiger's furious yowl. Tigerclaw yanked his clawed hand back from Hun's throat and ripped it to shreds, spraying his front with blood and scattering it on the floor.

Hun's head fell back against the concrete, motionless.

Roman skidded to a stop right next to them, his features etched with disbelief. Tearing away his eyes from Hun, Roman squared his shoulders and narrowed his eyes deeply on Tigerclaw.

"Wow, you guys sure now how to clear a room," he hissed, anger simmering just barely below the surface. Tanaka rounded Tigerclaw's still crouched form and looked to Roman, his gaze hardly what anyone might all _friendly_.

"And by that," Roman went on furiously, "I mean _kill everyone_! What the hell is your problem, Tigerclaw? You were supposed to get information!"

Tanaka stepped forward defensively, baring his fangs and hissing at Roman. He was stopped by Tigerclaw, who stood and observed Roman. When he spoke, Roman noted something off about his voice. Even his stance seemed odd, as if he were shaken.

"Hun would not have told us anything," Tigerclaw said at last, his words stiff and without their usual vehemence. "He is better off dead."

"Oh," said Roman in mock understanding, "You mean like the rest of the guys in here? Did you have to kill all of them, really? Hell, half of these guys were just teenage gangsters! You didn't have to blow them all the hell up!"

Tanaka growled again from his spot, his eyes bright with fury at Roman's aggression. Oddly enough, Tigerclaw reached up a hand and held him back. "I do not care for these other humans. You cater to your morals. They are not mine."

"You two have no respect for life," snapped Roman heatedly. "If this is how you do things, we're better off without you. Feel free to get the hell out of New York."

"A cub does not tell me what to do," Tigerclaw sneered, but most of his efforts remained with keeping at Tanaka at bay, as the younger mutant seemed every bit as ready to come to blows as Roman. They'd both reached for their weapons with the _clink_ of a blade sounded and dove between the feuding males.

"Cool it!" exclaimed Mira fiercely, holding her katana between them all. She looked between them, her normally playful features stern.

Roman scowled and backed off, as did Tanaka, though he kept one of his guns in hand. Mira kept her katana held high, effectively closing them off from one another. "Look, what's done is done," she went on firmly. "We'll find another way to get information."

Roman looked ready to argue still, and Tanaka seemed equally unwilling to drop the quarrel, but they noticed the other teens now gathered a few feet away, and it caused both of them to step away from one another.

Damon stood with his arm around Luka, who was desperately trying not to look at the bodies surrounding them. He turned and pressed his face into Damon's ribcage, unwilling to see anymore. Dani stood on the other side of her twin, her eyes ducked low. When she glanced up and met Tanaka's gaze, the hybrid finally pulled back his hiss and turned away from Roman, instead pacing restlessly behind Tigerclaw.

"Fine," Roman huffed at last. The two parties turned away from one another, though Dani glance once more over her shoulder as they parted ways. Tanaka walked with Tigerclaw, but he looked for her as well.

"Let's go," said Roman, and Dani looked away from Tanaka and followed.

* * *

"So," Damon leaned against Dani's bed headboard and smirked. "Where did you and Tanaka disappear off to the other day?"

The incident in the warehouse had happened less than forty-eight hours ago, but they'd all made an effort to put it out of their minds. Tigerclaw and Tanaka had returned to the lair later that night, but they hardly spoken to anyone.

Except Tanaka, who had sent Dani a short message on her phone.

 _Can I see you tomorrow night?_

She'd responded that he could, and so now she waited, outstretched on her bed with a magazine in front of her. "The farmhouse," she said, unable to hide her pleasure, though she cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders in an effort to look casual. "He wanted to see the trees. I thought it would be nice."

"And was it nice?" teased Damon, unused to seeing Dani blush. Interesting.

Dani hummed thoughtfully as she turned a page in her magazine, but her smile remained. "It was nice," she said with a little nod. She paused a moment before adding, "And we kissed."

Damon snickered. "And how was that?" he probed further, which made Dani laughed.

"It was great, actually," she closed her magazine and sat up on the bed. "I really, _really_ like – Oh, god!" She stopped abruptly when she spotted Tanaka at her bedroom window, sitting patiently, eyes on her and a pleased smile on his features. A flood of relief filled her to see him without the frightening glare he'd given Roman.

Dani hopped up, since Damon was too busy laughing. She opened the window.

"Hey, sorry," she bit her lip, sweeping her hair back from her face. "Forgot what time it was." Tanaka dropped into the room and glanced at Damon with a courteous nod, who was always agreeable enough. The incident in the warehouse hadn't made him hostile, as it had Roman.

"Well, I guess I should leave you two alone," Damon said kindly, before waving to Tanaka and slipping out of the door. Dani cleared her throat and brushed at her hair again once she was left alone with Tanaka.

"Did you, um, happen to be watching that whole conversation?" she asked curiously. When Tanaka simply smirked and sat on the edge of her bed without responding, she knew he'd seen every last word. Sneaky lip-reader.

Dani came to sit beside him, one long leg folding underneath her. They sat without talking for a moment before Tanaka touched her shoulder to get her attention. She looked up.

 _Are you upset about what happened before? At the warehouse?_

Dani's eyes flickered. Honestly, she shared Roman's sentiment about the way things had gone down, but it didn't seem to her that it was Tanaka's fault. Tigerclaw was the one who'd raised him that way. Either way, she didn't feel too much pity for Hun or his thugs, so it was hard for her to hold it against Tanaka.

"I mostly feel bad for Roman," she admitted, in a rare moment of honesty. Tanaka's features darkened at the mention of her cousin, but Dani reached out for his arm and he let her pull him up further onto the bed. She squeezed his hand before letting go, so he could sign.

"Look, I know Roman is – way, way overzealous about most things, and he has a huge problem minding his own business, but…" Dani shrugged a shoulder. "He's just trying to do what's best for us. I mean, yeah, he's annoying, but he's the only one out of us that can make that annoying behavior actually mean something. He just wants to make sure people aren't getting hurt when they don't have to be."

Tanaka grimaced. _Those were Hun's men. They would have killed us, too._

"I know," said Dani quietly. "But the way we were raised is a little… different. I mean, we don't…" she huffed, wishing she was as good at explaining this as she was at cutting people down. Insults were an art, and she had mastered them. Sensitivity, on the other hand, not so much.

"We don't want to be just like the people we fight, you know?" She asked at last. "And that's all Roman's trying to do. To make sure we all remember that there's a difference, and to keep us safe." When Tanaka made another face, she edged closer, not at all above using her more persuasive elements to convince him. The hybrid definitely noticed, and Dani tucked into his arm, which he pulled around her waist.

"I know he can seem like a total jackass, but try not to hate Roman. He's really a good guy," she said, turning her head enough to let him see her talk. Tanaka seemed to consider this, before at last he gave his own little huff and nodded.

 _I'll try._

Dani's lips turned up in a smile and she leaned over, kissing his cheek. For the first time since his arrival, Tanaka smiled, and it gave her the courage to work up to something else.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something." Again, those damned nerves threatened to get to her. Was this what guys felt like when they asked her out? She had no idea. They did it all the time, and normally she shot them down. Poor saps. "Will you – Okay, so this is kind of short notice, I know, but – would you… want to go to prom with me?" she asked.

Tanaka's response was to tilt his head curiously at her. _P-r-o-m?_ he spelled out curiously.

"Oh, yeah," she sat up straighter in front of him. "I forgot, you might not know – well, okay it's like… this formal dance at my school. And everyone goes with someone, like Damon is taking his boyfriend, and Mira and Roman both have people, and it's kind of… like a date."

Tanaka raised both brows in surprise. _You want me to go to a dance with you?_ He asked, before a hint of uncertainty crossed his features. _I don't look normal._

He seemed to think she might not be sure about asking him, as if she might have forgotten that he wasn't entirely human. But she hadn't, of course, and Dani found herself smiling as she edged a bit closer. "You look pretty normal to me," she said gently, and Tanaka's lips quirked. "Then again," she went on as her smile grew. "I'm a little weird, so."

She paused. "Will you go…?"

After what felt like several long minutes to Dani – but in reality was only a few thoughtful seconds – Tanaka nodded. _I would like that,_ he signed with a smile, and Dani giggled before reaching for his shirt, drawing him to her and placing a soft kiss on his lips.

His arm moved around her torso and pulled her close, causing Dani to curl her fingers in his shirt and deepen the kiss. His hand reached up to gently cup her face, and she tugged on him until his body turned and he was lying partially over her on the bed.

They each paused, their faces closed, bodies humming with energy.

Dani's bare toes curled against the comforter on her bed, and Tanaka leaned down to kiss her again, more slowly this time as his hand traveled cautiously down the length of her side. The touch was distracting, so much so that Dani took a moment to process the sudden sound of voices down the hallway.

" – SURE, Dad! I'd LOVE to go say good-night to Dani with you!"

"Why are you talking so loud, Damon?"

"NO REASON!"

Dani pulled away from Tanaka, her eyes wide. He blinked at her, confused, but Dani shoved him away. _My dad,_ she mouthed, and Tanaka yelped before he turned and sprinted for the window, which he only barely made it out of before Dani's bedroom door swung open.

"Daaaaaaad!" Dani swiftly turned to face Donatello, who stood at the door with Damon at his side. "I am so glad to see you!" She choked a little, but managed to cover it up.

Donnie looked between his twin children. "You two…" he said, pointing at the redheads. "You two are suspicious."

"Who, us?" asked Damon, looking at Dani, who shared his disbelieving expression.

"Mmhm," Donatello scanned the room, walking all around slowly. "I just came to say good-night," he said before swiftly pulling up Dani's sheets and peering under the bed. When he straightened, both teens blinded him with innocent smiles.

"Well, I guess that's it, then," said Dani cheerily. "Good-night, love you!" she kissed Donnie's cheek, then Damon's. "Gotta get to bed, don't want to be tired for school tomorrow!" She hopped into her sheets and pulled them around her shoulders.

"Right," said Donatello dryly, before he finally gave up on investigating the room. "Love you too, sweetheart." He left the room, giving Damon just enough time to share a grin with Dani before he, too, left and closed the door.

Tucking into her bed, Dani giggled against her pillow.

* * *

"Hey handsome," Will smiled, pushing off the wall he was leaning against as Damon approached, Roman and Tanaka trailing behind him, each unwilling to really pay attention to the other, but peaceful enough for now. Damon smiled and kissed him briefly before catching his attention and saying quietly, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, we have a family friend here from Japan and he's going to prom with Dani, so he's here to pick up a tux, too. He wears weird contacts, it's a Japanese fad, just ignore them."

"Oh," said Will with a nod.

"Also, he's deaf, but he can read lips, so just look at him when you talk and he can understand you just fine," went on Damon, his back to Tanaka and Roman as they approached. Will paused to consider this and then nodded.

"Cool, I handle that."

The other two stopped outside the rental shop, and Will waved to Roman before he extended a hand to Tanaka, who hovered nearby with an obvious air of apprehension. "Hi," said Will with a friendly smile. "I'm Will, nice to meet you."

Tanaka blinked in surprise, glancing over at Damon, before he accepted Will's hand and relaxed a bit. He signed something to him, and Damon translated.

"He said it's nice to meet you."

Roman sighed heavily, not at all excited about the prospect of trying on tuxedos. "Come on, let's get this over with." The four teens stepped inside the shop and began to work with the salesperson to find their fits. Roman kept his distance from Tanaka, and neither of them acted openly hostile, but it was no secret that Roman didn't want to be there.

Not just because of Tanaka, but because he wasn't even excited about prom. He could barely remember the face of the girl he was going with. Plus, he had other stuff on his mind. _I wish Mira was here._ At least then he'd have someone to vent to. Damon was always occupied when Will was around. No wonder Dani felt left out. Those two were like a greeting card couple.

Roman smirked to himself. Mira would like that one. He would have to remember it.

Tanaka eyed the hanging suits in the shop's window with a great deal of dismay, and Damon was equally appalled, so it was up to Will to help them both out, because neither knew enough about fittings or formal wear to do it themselves.

"Why are you letting this guy feel me up?" asked Damon, smirking at Will's growl.

"It's called an inseam, now be still and stop talking."

"Seems a little touchy for a fitting," muttered Damon, making Tanaka snicker, though he quickly stopped and tried to hide when the store clerk came for him. Will and Damon dragged him out from behind a coat rack and made him stand still.

"Hey, you said you would go to prom, you've gotta sit through the torture like the rest of us," said Damon, holding the twitchy hybrid in place. At last, they were finished and the four teens gathered near the checkout register to pay for their tuxes.

It was at this moment that Tanaka chanced a look up through the large shop windows. His eyes widened, but it was too late for a warning.

The explosive crash sent all four teens – plus the shop clerk – flying off their feet, crashing to the floor in a scattered pile of splintered wood and broken glass. Damon and Will landed behind the counter on the ground, with Damon covering Will's head with his arms. When he looked up, he spotted Tanaka, who jumped to his feet and signed furiously.

 _ATTACK!_

"What the hell was that?" exclaimed Will, but the words had barely gotten out of his mouth before Damon leaped up, snatched the back of Will's shirt and all but threw him into a dressing room. "What the – DAMON!" he shouted, but the redhead turned swiftly and braced himself against a wall, kicking hard with both feet against a heavy cabinet, which covered the dressing room door and shut Will inside.

"DAMON, LET ME OUT!"

Another pair of hands snatched Damon out of the way just before a laser blast lit up the area he'd been. "Whoa – Roman!" The two ducked behind some shelves just as more gunfire rained down on them, and a loud whirring sounded outside of the shattered shop walls. Tanaka motioned to them from his hidden spot behind the counter.

 _Ten fighters!_

He pulled out his guns, one in each hand and turned, firing over the counter and receiving fire in return. Each loud blast shattered a piece of the store and debris flew into the air. Roman reached for his own hidden weapons.

"Will's safe! Take them out!" he ordered Damon, who groaned only for a moment before pulling out his nunchucks and leaping out behind Roman. The very same droids that had attacked them the night in the tunnel leaped off small, hovering platforms, and the gunfire began in earnest. No surface in the shop was safe from the explosions, but Roman ducked skillfully around them and reached the droids, chigiriki swinging at lightning fast speeds.

He dismantled one and then another, forcing them to fight up close, as Damon did the same, running and leaping over the counter. He took down one with a kick and swung around, moving his chains around the neck of a droid and yanking it off its feet.

Tanaka emerged then, hurdling the counter and turning his weapons in his hands when the fight grew too close for gunfire. One, two quick hits to a droid, and then another, but more appeared and one of them fired off a large blast of laser fire that sent all three teens flying through the air and onto their backs.

Down the street and up a block, Luka walked calmly with his mother, steadily working his way through a Fruit Roll-Up.

"You did very well at practice today," Ame told him with a smile. "I am so excited for your next recital."

"Mmhm," Luka was a bit more concerned with his candy, but when he and Ame rounded the corner, he paused to unstick it from his hand. At that moment, a loud crash and blast sounded, and they both looked down the street to see two droids fly out of a shop window.

Luka rolled up what was left of his candy. "Can you hold this?" he asked his mother, who nodded and took it with a look of concern. Then Luka raced off down the street, already reaching for the hidden bo staff under his shirt.

Inside the shop, Damon struggled with a droid as it bore down on the weight of his kusarigama chain, cold mechanical hands too close to his neck for his liking. "Roman!" he called out, but his cousin was busy with three droids of his own. Damon finally managed to push the droid off, but it knocked his weapon out of his hand and raised a blaster.

"SHIT!" Damon covered his face, but the whistle of a staff soaring through the air cut off his panic as it sliced through the droid and staked it in the ground. Luka dropped down from a window and yanked out his staff as Damon laughed incredulously.

"Luka! You are amazing."

"What's going on?" Luka exclaimed, dropping behind a shelf with Damon. "What did you guys do? Set off the security?"

"Hey, this was totally not our fault, okay? I don't know how these freaks found us!"

At that moment, Damon rushed forward and rolled across the floor, retrieving his fallen weapon in the process. Another blast caused him to duck down again, but Roman appeared and with an amazingly swift motion, dispatched the last three droids as Tanaka fired a blast through the chest of another.

The hovering platforms were gone, and with them, the rest of the droids.

Roman panted for a moment, but immediately looked to Damon and Luka to make sure they were okay. "Nice assist," he complimented his youngest cousin. Tanaka moved over to them cautiously, stepping over destroyed robots, burned plastic and broken glass.

 _What was all that about?_ He asked, shaking his head in dismay. Damon exhaled heavily. "No idea," he said, before his eyes suddenly widened. "Damn it – Will!" Rushing over to the dressing room, Damon climbed over some rubble and pushed aside the cabinet.

Will burst out, but Damon deliberately stepped in his way as Tanaka slyly edged the nearest robot carcass out of sight with his foot.

"What – in the hell," Will looked around slowly at the destruction, his eyes wide. "Damon, what the - You locked me in a dressing room!"

"Well, I _was_ going to lock you in a closet, but I figured you wouldn't appreciate the joke."

Will glared. "What _the hell_ happened in here?"

The other four teens stood in varying states of awkward uncertainty. Behind them, a piece of lighting fell and crashed loudly, making everyone except Tanaka wince. "Well?" prompted Will crossly. Then Tanaka clapped his hands behind them and gestured animatedly, pretending to drive, then swinging his hand, pointing to the destroyed wall closest to the street and then miming an explosion. He paired his "explanation" with a very confident nod.

Damon pointed. "What he said."

"A car," deadpanned Will. "You're telling me a car drove into the store and crashed through the wall."

Roman tutt'ed loudly. "Drunk driver, dude. No respect for daytime shopping hours."

Will folded his arms. "Oh, really? Then where is this car?"

"It drove off!" Damon yelped. "Hit and run. I was – I was just about to call the police, seriously." Will's eyes narrowed on Damon, and it was very clear he didn't believe him. He opened his mouth to argue again, but at that moment, Ame entered the wasteland of debris with a loud, distraught noise.

"Oh, no! My poor son and nephews! I was so scared for you!" She yanked Luka to her in a teary hug, looking desperately to Will. "Oh, are you alright, William? That car was moving so fast! I was so – so frightened!" she touched her chest, real tears edging at the corner of her eyes as she almost painfully stroked Luka's head.

"I – " Will glanced at the others, but his expression immediately softened. "I'm fine, Mrs. Hamato. Are you okay?"

"I am just so upset!" she cried out, wiping at her face and finally releasing Luka, who regained the ability to breathe and touched his mother's shoulder sympathetically. "That horrible drunk driver! I feel like I am going to faint!"

Roman and Damon exchanged wry glances.

"Will, can you help me get her back to our car?" asked Luka with a deep frown. "I won't be able to hold her by myself. She seems pretty distressed."

"Sure, sure," Will said, rushing to Ame's side and immediately helping support her. Together, the three of them exited the shop, and Damon remained behind with Roman and Tanaka, all of whom looked to each other.

"She is the most dangerous one out of all of us," said Roman with a nod.

"For sure," Damon exhaled, shaking his head. "Also, I am the worst boyfriend ever." Roman patted his shoulder.

"Will's alive. That's what matters." He glanced around. "Hey!" he said in delight, "Our tuxes made it!" He picked up his from a rack, and the shop clerk emerged from the back of the store, terrified but relatively unharmed. Roman pointed at him. "Oh, good. You're still here. So can we pay now?"

Damon and Tanaka both stared.

"I'm just asking!" Roman defended. "Cause, uh, I don't think my mom's going to give me the credit card again."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Some quick Tigerclaw flashbacks for you guys before the next full chapter…

* * *

 _December 2012_

Snow capped the mountains in view of the window, but the inside of the home was filled with a warm glow. Emily readjusted the infant in her arms and smiled, gesturing for Tigerclaw to sit next to her.

He did, his movements slow and bewildered. "I did not expect him to grow so much," he admitted at last. "I was only gone for a few months."

Baby Tanaka squirmed in his mother's arms, clicking his gums noisily.

"They grow fast at this age," comforted Emily, touching his arm affectionately. Curling closer, she tucked under Tigerclaw's arm, and the tiger looked down at her uncertainly before allowing himself to slowly relax around her.

The three stayed that way for a long while, letting the rest of the evening fall away under the dark, snowy night.

Before he left a few days later, Tigerclaw pulled Emily aside and pulled a small click-like device from his pocket. "I want you to take this," he told her, placing it in her hand. "If you are ever in danger or need me to return here immediately, you may click it. I will receive a signal on my device and come to you as soon as I can."

Emily's features turned up in a smile as she tucked away the clicker.

"An emergency only, Emily. I mean it," said Tigerclaw firmly. "I cannot risk leaving New York City unless you truly need me here. Do you understand?"

"Of course, of course," she reached for his fingers and wound them in hers. "Emergencies only, I swear."

With a tip of her toes, she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, though Tigerclaw responded little. They hadn't kissed a single time since the night Tanaka was conceived, but as Tigerclaw left that day, the memory of it lingered.

* * *

 _September 2013_

"Do you think he will be here?" asked Akiko, looking to Tanaka as he toddled around the living room, trying desperately to reach his wrapped gifts on the table. "For Tanaka's birthday?"

Emily put her chin in her hands and smiled, though it held a hint of sadness. "I never know when he'll be home. But he knows what today is. If he can make it, he will. I know it."

The day passed without an appearance from Tigerclaw, and with no way to contact him, Emily could only take her one-year-old son into bed with her and curl up to go to sleep.

At ten minutes till midnight, a large shadow crept into the bedroom, moving without a single light to aid him.

Tigerclaw paused in the darkness, the vision of Emily curled in the bed with baby Tanaka drawing him to a stop. Nervous hands turned over a wrapped gift in his hand, but he simply placed it on the table next to the bed and watched over them. Something must have notified the sleeping baby of his presence, because Tanaka lifted his dark-haired head and squinted sleepily at Tigerclaw.

Making a gurgling noise, he reached for his father, mutant eyes able to see him well in the dark.

Tigerclaw hurried forward, shushing him quietly before he looked to Emily, still asleep. After more imploring grabs from Tanaka, Tigerclaw removed his weapons, scarf and his shirt, before slipping into bed, leaving Tanaka in the middle.

The baby fell onto the pillow with a pleased mewling noise and let himself fall back into a slumber.

"Tora…?" murmured Emily, half-asleep.

Feline eyes shifted up to Emily's curly head, buried deep in her pillow. With a slight quirk of his lips, Tigerclaw reached over the pillows, past Tanaka's sleeping form and brushed his hand through her hair. "Go back to sleep," he told her in a murmur.

"Will you still be here when I wake up?" she asked sleepily, eyes already sliding closed again. Tigerclaw let his hands turn under a few tendrils of her curly blond hair.

"For a little while," he answered in soft tones.

* * *

 _January 2014_

The door to the bedroom burst open and two lovers tumbled through, Tigerclaw steering her backwards even as she pulled at her own clothing, dropping it carelessly to the floor.

"Where is Tanaka?" he asked breathlessly, because he'd been home for all of five minutes and hadn't asked, only reacted to the sight of Emily standing at the mirror in the hallway, so beautiful and amazing and god, he had missed her.

"Taking a nap," she answered, unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it off of his shoulders. She'd barely managed the task before Tigerclaw reached for her thighs and picked her up effortlessly, pulling her into a deep kiss before he pressed her against the bed and climbed over her.

"Good," he slowed his motions to draw a hand down the center of her front, gliding the digits past her breasts and down her stomach, to her navel and further. When his eyes lifted to hers again, she flashed him a mischievous smile.

"Come here," she commanded in a low murmur.

* * *

 _March 2014_

"Tora, you're so rough with him!"

Tigerclaw glanced up at the young woman seated next to him in the garden, her legs folded demurely under her, curls bound in a braid at the side of her lovely face. His only consolation to her words was a hum, before he turned his attention back to Tanaka.

The little boy ran as hard as he could, bouncing straight into Tigerclaw's large hand and letting the tiger push him by the head to the ground, over and over and over again, laughing each time he tumbled and rolled. Tigerclaw chuckled. "Does he ever tire?"

"Not at all," Emily shook her head in dismay, though her lips quirked. "He has more energy than anyone or anything I've ever seen! And he's so hard-headed! He doesn't seem to pay attention at all when I talk, you know."

As Tanaka continued his same game of letting Tigerclaw push him down over and over again, Emily continued with a soft sigh, "I tried to take him to play with other children in the visit a few weeks ago, but he doesn't know how to be gentle. He almost took a little girl's eye out!"

At Tigerclaw's amused smirk, Emily huffed. "It's not funny, Tora! He needs to interact with others more often." She caught Tanaka and tried to stop his runs, but he wiggled out of her grip and ran off, tripping and falling into a flower bed, which only made him cackle with laughter.

"He can't grow up knowing only me," Emily pointed out, eyebrow raised.

Tigerclaw looked back to her and scoffed. "Why not? I did."

This time, it was Emily's turn to giggle. "Oh, yes," she said, moving to his side and curling under his arm. "And look what a social butterfly you turned out to be."

* * *

 _October 2014_

It was a rare treat.

Business had taken Master Shredder away from New York, which meant Tigerclaw was free to do as he wished for a little while. He'd honestly considered the fact that two weeks at the house with Emily and Tanaka might drive him insane with boredom, but Emily hadn't been lying when she said Tanaka was a lot to keep up with.

Tigerclaw had faced a dozen foes at once and still not been as tired as he felt after watching Tanaka on his own all day while Emily was in town.

"I spoke with Tanaka's doctor today," she told Tora over dinner, looking down the table to the toddler, who munched on his food without much consideration of the mess.

"Is he not well?" asked Tigerclaw, brows furrowed. If not, this was the first he'd heard of it. When Emily hesitated, he put down his chopsticks, eyes looking to hers.

"He's – Well, he's not ill," the young woman put down her utensils as well and shook her head, still in disbelief herself. "Tora, all this time, I thought Tanaka wasn't listening to me because he's strong-willed and stubborn – which he certainly is." She paused, before going on. "But it's not just that, Tora," she told him, brows furrowed.

"Tanaka is completely deaf."

"Deaf?" repeated Tigerclaw, confused. "I've seen him react to noise many times."

"I thought so, too!" she leaned forward, before she pulled away from the table and made her way around Tanaka, who was involved with his food and didn't notice. "But look." After waiting a moment, she clapped her hands loudly behind the toddler's head, earning no reaction in return.

"All this time, I thought he knew when I was coming into a room or doing something nearby because he could hear me, but his doctor told me that his other senses are heightened. He knows where you and I are because – "

"He knows our scent," finished Tigerclaw, looking down the table at their son. He remained silent as Emily took her seat once more, his mind puzzling over the news. He took another bite of his food as he thought, and when he was finished, looked back to Emily.

"Is he healthy otherwise?"

"Very," Emily nodded, looking affectionately down at the toddler. "His doctor believes it's a congenital defect. Apparently, he hasn't had his hearing since he was born." She looked back to Tigerclaw. "But he appears to do very well despite it." After a few minutes of silence, Emily bit her lip.

"Are you disappointed?" she asked, concerned.

Tigerclaw looked up to her, surprised. He considered his thoughts as he watched Tanaka play and eat. "He seems happy," he noted. "And he has always been without his hearing. I see no reason to be disappointed."

Emily's features relaxed into a smile. "Neither do I."

* * *

 _February 2015_

A storm raged outside the window, rattling the glass in its pane.

In the security of a warm, dry bedroom, Emily walked her fingertips up the center of Tigerclaw's chest, her own bare body draped over his. When her fingers reached his face, her eyes jumped to his and she giggled for no real reason. Tigerclaw's lips quirked in response, and he reached forward, drawing his hand through her hair.

"You look," said Emily, leaning into his hand, "as though you are thinking very hard about something."

"Mm," he let her continue her small touches, wishing he still had his tail to curl around her under the sheets. "I suppose I am." At Emily's curious look, he shifted against the pillows. This conversation was one he had entertained in his mind many times, but to actually speak it aloud seemed oddly dangerous. He did so anyway, lowering his voice, as though someone might overhear them.

"I have considered leaving my current employer," he told her, noticing how Emily became rapt with attention at his words. His hand dropped tenderly along the curves of her face. "I could return to freelance bounty-hunting, as I did before. In that way, I would not have to worry about your discovery, and I could only accept the contracts I wanted."

Emily slid further up the length of his body, her blue eyes wide. "Does that mean you could be home more often?"

Tigerclaw curled a finger against her cheek. "Whenever I wished."

Small fingers reached up and curled around his, but Emily's face shifted to concern. "But I thought you said you were very important to your boss. What if he doesn't want to let you leave?"

"There is someone now who can take my place," he explained to her. "A young human male. I believe he wishes it, and my employer trusts him. He has proven himself over the last few months. When I am gone, I believe he would enthusiastically take my place at my employer's side."

"You could really do it, then?" asked Emily, excitement leaking into her tones. "Leave there and spend more time at home with us? Is that - " her jubilant expression flickered. "Is that what you want? Because I want you to be happy, Tora. You do not need to do this just for Tanaka and me. You already give us so much."

The tiger shifted in the bed and drew Emily fully into his arms, bare torsos pressed together.

"It is what I want," he assured her in calm, quiet tones, even as his heart raced as the thought. "I must stay with my employer for just a little while longer, until his matter is resolved. But we have a plan in place, and it will all end very soon. I promise." He leaned forward, nuzzling her head with his.

"When his enemies are defeated, I will come home."

* * *

 _The next evening_

Some fifty miles from the home he shared with Emily, Tigerclaw prepared a small personal plane for his departure. He was nearly finished when he heard something buzz in his bag.

Confused, he reached in and tossed a few things aside, eyes narrowed. After a moment, he wrapped his hand around the offending clicker, only to spot a blinking red light at the top.

His blood ran cold.

 _Emily._


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: A big chapter ahead, guys…

* * *

On a windy autumn day, nearly seventeen years ago, Donatello and April had held hands as she finally brought two healthy, bawling infants into the world. After so many heartbreaks, it was the most joyous event they'd ever experienced together.

Now, as Donnie stood in their living room and watched April fuss over Damon's tux and Daniella twirl happily in her prom dress – emerald green, short and fringed in a style reminiscent of _The Great Gatsby_ – he reflected on the sudden realization that the best thing he had ever done with his life, the most important invention he'd taken ever taken part of stood right in front of him, in the form of three very special redheads.

"How do I look?" asked Dani, smiling one of her rare real smiles.

Donnie swallowed past a lump in his throat. "Beautiful, of course," he said, extending an arm to her. Dani looped her long arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, before jumping away to avoid messing up her hair.

A knock came at the door.

"Let's see…" April peered through the peephole. "Oh, it's Tanaka!"

Dani stopped her primping, turning on her spot and looking to the door just as Tanaka appeared in the living room, a flush of color on his cheeks. "Tanaka!" Dani beamed, her heart thumping beneath her dress. Oh, god, how had she ever looked at Tanaka and not seen someone who made her heart race? And despite the fact that he'd never once worn a tux (Leo had helped him get ready, he told her later), he looked quite put together. Flashing cat-like eyes and all.

"Oh, look how handsome!" April squealed, hugging Tanaka, who chuckled in his quiet, raspy way and tucked his head bashfully against the praise. Damon grinned from behind Dani.

"Don't worry, dude. I don't like wearing this thing, either," he said, gesturing to the suit.

"Aw, but Damon, you look so wonderful and grown-up," said his mother, before she paused long enough to wave a hand next to her face as Damon and Dani groaned in unison. "I'm not crying! I'm not! Hush your mouths!"

Away from her nearly hysterical mother, Dani took Tanaka's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You look amazing," she mouthed so her parents wouldn't overhead. Tanaka smiled, a little less shy than before as he scanned her.

 _Not as amazing as you,_ he told her, grinning his fanged smile. Then he reached in his pocket. _Luka and Damon helped me pick this out for you,_ he showed her the box containing the corsage, which held a yellow rose against a ribbon of green. He pinned it to her dress as Dani barely suppressed the urge to squeal. She hadn't wanted to put any more pressure on him by asking him to get a corsage, but he'd done it anyway.

"Thank you," she murmured, kissing his cheek quickly. It happened in a flash, but he still quickly pulled away and cast a nervous glance at Dani's parents. Only Donatello was watching, but the turtle simply stuck out his tongue and looked back to Damon.

He liked Dani's boyfriend, but that didn't mean he had to like the fact that she HAD one.

Another knock at the door, and this time Donnie quickly hurried away to hide in his lab, giving one last kiss to Dani and Damon. "Have fun! Call me if you need anything, I'll be at home!" With that, he disappeared and April answered the door, gasping dramatically at the sight of Will.

"Oh my goodness, look at this handsome young man!"

Laughing, Will entered the townhome and hugged April affectionately before turning to Damon, who grinned widely at the sight of his boyfriend. "I bet you are hating life right now," Will noted with a snicker as Damon looped an arm around his shoulders and kissed his temple.

"Yeah, I'm just wearing a tuxedo t-shirt to your prom," Damon smirked. "Forget all this."

"Well, you look very nice," said Will sincerely, tipping a finger at Damon's tuxedo tie. "Might even pass for a grown-up at some point in your life."

At that point, April began ushering them all together for photos, which lasted far too long for Damon and Dani's taste, until finally their groans won out and she put up the camera and kissed them good-bye. Before they left, she grabbed the twins' hands and spoke lowly.

"Do you have everything? Your tickets, your money, your phones, your… you know? _Other things?"_

Dani scowled heavily. "Do you mean those condoms you keep giving us? Because we have enough. Seriously."

"Yeah, Mom. No more." Damon made a face. "Especially since the last ones you gave me said _Ribbed for her pleasure."_ He and his boyfriend shuddered in unison.

"Oh, for goodness sake," April dragged a hand down her face. "I get those at the university, I don't get to choose the – I don't know – _flavors_!" Then she yanked the twins close again and dropped her voice to a whisper. "And I meant your weapons, you two goofs!"

Dani and Damon glanced at each other and snickered. "Yeah, we've got those," said Damon. "Can we go now? Please?" April finally relented, giving all four of them one last kiss before she let them go off.

And okay, so maybe she cried a little.

* * *

Mira Hamato raked her hand through her hair for the one hundredth time.

"Why do you keep doing that?" asked Marco, her date. "You wearing a wig or something?"

Mira blinked and turned to face him, her feet shifting uncomfortably in her heels. They looked awesome, but she kind of felt like sawing her feet off and she'd only been wearing them for twenty minutes. "Oh, sorry. It's just," she gestured at her head, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "My hair is normally super curly, and like, full of knots, so I never get to run my hands through it. But now it's straight! And… silky." At Marco's vague nod, Mira bit her lip.

"Uh," she shifted, looking around the dance floor, wishing for a familiar face. "So did you see that Predators vs Penguins match last night? It was badass. Second round of the Stanley Cup."

At this, Marco raised both brows and Mira groaned on the inside.

"Mira!" Looking up sharply at her cousin's voice, she practically hopped with excitement. Damon, Will, Dani and Tanaka all came over, stepping in and out of the flashing lights of the gymnasium. Dani gave a low appreciative whistle.

"Wow, Aunt Mel did an awesome job on your hair and makeup! Kudos," she said, before looking to Marco, who had already turned to chat with some of his buddies. "Your date could use a little work," added Dani dryly, as Damon looped an arm around Mira's shoulders.

"Seriously, though. You look awesome," he told her, which made Mira beam.

"Thanks, you guys are all looking pretty studly yourselves!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"Did I hear someone say _studly_?"

The group turned to face Roman, dressed in his tuxedo and likewise wearing his usual cocky expression. Standing right next to her, Dani didn't miss Mira's wide-eyed expression, nor the small noise she made as she quickly recovered.

"You look dumb," Mira said out loud and Dani almost slapped a hand over her face. Roman rolled his eyes and smirked, before looking her over just once and then meeting her gaze again.

"Well, I think you look gorgeous," he responded lightly, to which Mira balked and awkwardly shuffled behind Damon, muttering something about balls and the like as she hurried back to her date. Dani folded her arms and shook her head at Tanaka, mouthing _Clueless_ to him, which he responded to with a snicker.

A tall, leggy brunette sidled up to Roman and took his arm. "Come on, Roman! You hang out with your cousins all the time, let's go dance!" Roman blinked, eyes still on Mira a few feet away.

"Wh – What?" he asked, but she was already tugging him away to the dance floor.

Once they were gone, Dani turned back to Tanaka, Will and Damon. "Oh my god," she put her hands on her hips, freckled face annoyed. "I wish those two appreciated the amount of effort I put into their relationship! And for what? God, they are such losers and I just want them to be happy already!"

"I'm confused," Will looked over at Damon. "Whose relationship?"

The foursome made their way to a table and took their seats, away from the dance floor. "Ah," Damon waved a hand. "Roman and Mira. They're, uh. I don't know how to put it." He looked at Dani.

"So, _so_ freaking into each other," finished Dani. Tanaka's brows furrowed and he looked at Will, who seemed equally concerned. "Allow me to remind you," continued Dani as she sipped at a drink, "we are all adopted except Mira. Roman and Mira are not related to each other, obviously."

"Oh, yeah." Will nodded. "Still seems a little weird, though. I can understand why they're kind of… hesitant."

"Do you want to get voted off the table, Will?" asked Dani in her most severe tones. "Because I will cut you."

"… From the table?"

"That, too."

 _My parents grew up together,_ signed Tanaka with a nod. _Not so different from Roman and Mira._

"See?" said Dani, after she'd translated for the other two. "Not so weird. And even if it is, we're all weird anyway, so screw it. Might as well be as weird as we want."

"Excellent point," Will said, shooting a smirk at Damon. Just then, the music changed and grew louder, and more dancers came to the dance floor. Dani glanced over, biting her lip with anticipation before she looked to Tanaka, who chuckled. He waved for her to go.

"Do you want to come?" she asked, but he shook his head, as she'd expected.

 _I'll watch,_ he gestured with an affectionate smile. Damon chose to stay at the table as well.

"I don't dance," he told the others plaintively, and Will rolled his eyes before kissing Damon's cheek and darting off with Dani.

"All that rhythm, and he uses it for guitar," Will grinned, before he bowed graciously to Dani and offered her an arm. With an elaborate curtsy, Dani took his arm and they hurried out onto the dance floor.

"Don't worry," Damon said to Tanaka as he nodded to Will and Dani. "I heard that guy's gay."

Tanaka responded with a fanged grin.

"MIRA!" Dani called out again, not at all bothered by shouting across the dance floor. In a crowd of her date's friends, Mira's head popped up at the sound of her cousin's voice. With a quick word to her date, Mira dashed off to the dance floor. No sooner had she arrived than Roman appeared as well, looking down at Mira with a wink.

"Oh, god," Roman's date muttered from her spot. "Those freaking Hamatos."

From their table, Damon and Tanaka watched with great amusement as Dani and Mira danced happily, completely unafraid to take over the dance floor as the Will and Roman each attracted quite a bit attention themselves. Many curious girls looked over Will as he danced, unsure if he went to their school or not.

At one point, Roman and Will danced to the whistles and calls of several girls, with Mira and Dani laughing from the side before jumping in. When the song finally ended, the four teens were the only ones left on the dance floor, and (most) of the onlookers burst into applause at their little show.

Dani and Will stumbled breathlessly back to the table, still laughing while Roman returned to his disgruntled date, though he didn't seem all that bothered by her attitude. Dani paused to lean against Tanaka, who tenderly brushed back some of her hair from her face.

"Way to steal the spotlight, as usual," Damon complimented, deeply amused. Dani shrugged and carefully recovered her polished appearance, pausing to look in a compact mirror before she shut it with a click.

"Well, you know, I do what I do," she said smoothly, before looking across the room. Her easy expression tensed immediately, and the others followed her line of vision to Mira, who stood with her date, looking uncomfortable with whatever he was saying. When he tried to tug her near the door, it was obvious he wanted to leave.

Dani straightened away from the table, but Damon snatched her arm. "Hey, let Mira handle it, Dani."

"But – "

"She's fine," her twin told her gently. "She's not going anywhere if she doesn't want to. And besides," he glanced over at the far corner of the room, to where Roman stood, sharp eyes on Mira. "I think she's got someone looking out for her already."

"Oh, great," Dani faced him and folded her arms. "Because that's what we need. Roman going to jail because he beats some guy into a pulp at prom."

Will watched and noted, "Roman does look rather… vicious right now." Damon raised a brow at their cousin in the distance, before he pulled out his phone.

"He's not going to listen to us if we try to say something, but I know someone he always listens to." Tapping a few buttons, he sent out a quick text.

* * *

Across the room, Roman's attention reluctantly turned to his phone at the shrill ring. Without looking to see who was calling, he pulled it to his ear. "What?"

"Don't do whatever you're thinking about doing," came the casual voice on the other end of the phone. Roman sighed, looking away from Mira.

"You got a hidden camera on me on me, Luke?" he asked, leaning against the table. His date rolled her eyes and stalked off, irritated at being ignored.

"Damon text me," said the twelve-year-old, seated at his desk at home, where he carefully glued together a popsicle stick house for school, cell phone tucked between his cheek and shoulder. "Is Mira okay?"

"Eh," Roman grunted. "I think the guy's trying to get her to leave, but she doesn't want to. And if he wants her to leave this early, there's only one reason." He clenched the phone. "I ought to go over there and pound that guy's face – "

"Or," Luka interrupted mildly, "You could just wait for Mira to take care of it herself and then do something to make her feel better. You know, something comforting." He paused at Roman's silence. "Beating that guy up won't make her feel better, in case that's what you're thinking."

"I dunno," Roman said wryly. "It might."

Luka paused to unstick two of his fingers, which he'd accidentally glued together. "Again, I don't think beating him up is advisable," he informed his cousin, desperately fighting to pull his freshly glued fingers apart. Roman hummed in response, watching as Mira and her date stepped outside into the parking lot. He shot Damon and Dani a look across the gymnasium, and they both stood, following Mira at a distance.

After a moment's thought, Roman at last sighed. "Okay, maybe I won't beat him up. But… you're right. Maybe there is something else I can do," he said, thinking back to the dance floor a few minutes ago. "Can you take a cab and get up here?"

Finally ripping his fingers apart, Luka took the phone in his hand and glanced at the clock. "I have exactly 52 minutes until curfew. Can you get me back before then?"

"Of course. I am so responsible."

"Mm," Luka stood. "Then I'll see you in ten."

Roman hung up the phone and turned to his date, Lacey. "So," she folded her arms. "Are we leaving for Aaron Samuel's party or not?"

"Actually," Roman winced, and Lacey sighed heavily and shook her head.

"You want to go hang out with your cousins, don't you?" Without waiting for an answer, she tapped out a text on her phone and raised both brows at him. "Fine, but I'm hooking up with Aaron at the party if you're not there."

"Awesome," Roman pulled out a twenty dollar bill and slapped it in her palm. "Don't drink and drive. Good night!"

* * *

"I just," Mira shifted uncomfortably. God, give her anything else in the world but talking to boys on dates, and she was awesome. Spectacular, even. "I'm supposed to be home by like, eleven," she went on, even though Mikey and Mel had told her no such thing. "So I don't think going to a party would be a good idea. But maybe if I got some of my cousins, it would be okay?"

Marco, a senior from her Calculus class, observed her with an annoyed huff. "Who goes to prom and then has to be home by eleven? And what do you want your cousins to tag along?" At Mira's frown, he shifted gears, stepping closer and looming over her short height. "I'm sorry, I just… I was so excited to come here with you tonight. And you're so beautiful," he drew a hand down her cheek, causing Mira to flush.

"I can't help myself. I just want to spend time with you," he told her softly, and for a moment, Mira felt her heart lift. Guys didn't pay her attention, not like this. It felt nice.

"That's… awesome," she said, smiling a little. "And really, I – I like you, too. But I just don't feel comfortable leaving right now."

Marco's face shifted again, this time looking even more agitated than before. He pulled back immediately. "Oh, well," he shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I guess I'll just have to go to the party by myself then. Maybe I can find someone else to keep me company while I'm there."

Dani's voice cut through the air like a knife. "And would that someone else go by the name of _Jergens_?" The voice was followed by the _click click click_ of her heels as she veritably stomped across the parking lot, with the three boys behind her. Marco rolled his eyes.

"Mind your own business, skank," he told her, but Dani ignored him, turning to Mira, who was caught between appreciating Dani's interference and also wanting to fix things with Marco. She wanted tonight to be fun, damn it. But judging from the side-eye going on between Dani and Marco, that might prove impossible.

"It's okay, Dani," Mira tried to sound light. "Really, Marco was just talking to me about a party he wanted to go to. And I mean, I guess I should, you know. We are each other's date tonight, right?"

Pointedly not looking at Marco, Dani met Mira's gaze, her hands on her hips. "Mira, I don't care if this dick showed up at your house in a limousine made of solid gold, handed your parents one hundred dollar bills and then promised you his first-born child. You are never, ever obligated to do something you don't feel comfortable doing."

Marco opened his mouth to retort, but Dani held up a hand in front of his face. "No one was talking to you, meat sack!" And then to her cousin and waved a finger, "Mira, the _calluses on your feet_ are too hot for this loser."

"You know," Marco pushed up his shoulders. "It's funny how you girls always say whatever you want, because you think you won't get punched." At this, all three of the boys behind Dani – Will, Damon and Tanaka – reacted with hostility, the normally placid Damon taking a very measured step forward, eyes narrowed.

But Dani held up her hand again, halting their advances, her gaze turning coolly to Marco at last.

Shifting in his direction, she marched over to Marco with a heavy click of her heels, stopping directly in front of him. It took this moment for Marco to realize that Dani actually towered over him in height, though his eyes remained locked on her even expression.

Dani leaned close and spoke slowly. "I would _love_ for you to try and hit me," she purred, eyes flickering under heavy lashes. "Because I would put you in the ground so hard, you'd wake up next to a fossil."

Marco's eyes widened, and he glanced at the three guys behind Dani. Tanaka watched him the closest, and when Marco met his gaze, he flashed his fangs for the briefest of hisses. It was enough to make Marco stumble back, startled.

"You guys are freaks," he stuttered, looking to Mira.

Glancing at her cousins, Mira finally looked back to Marco and shrugged before saying, "Guess you don't belong here, then. Screw off." Marco did just that, hurrying off without another word. Dani was already re-applying her lip-gloss before he was even out of the parking lot, unconcerned as she closed her compact with a snap and smiled at Mira.

"Oh my god, you look even hotter without that hideous ass standing next to you!" Dani closed an arm around Mira's shoulders and steered her away from the gloomy parking lot. "What do you say we go back inside?"

Despite her cousin's reassurances, Mira remained deflated. She tried to smile, but the best she could manage was a small quirk of his lips. "Eh, maybe I should just go home," she muttered. "All of this was a waste."

Damon and the others moved to protest, but a sound suddenly drew their attention. Mira's brows furrowed, and she looked all around, before her gaze turned up.

On the roof of the gymnasium, Roman and Luka leaned over the edges wearing matching grins.

Music played behind them, a Nicki Minaj song Mira knew very, very well. A beaming smile spread over her face, and she immediately hurried forward, jumping up to catch a fire escape. With practiced skill, she pulled herself up the fire escape to the roof, catching Roman's hand at the top and letting him pull her over.

Damon and Dani looked to each other with matching smirks before they dashed off, leaping for the fire escape, with Damon waiting for Will and helping pull him up. Tanaka, of course, leaped and climbed faster than any of them, delighted to be off the ground and up high.

Mira laughed out loud when she saw the phone speakers blasting her song, and she turned to Luka and Roman. "What are you even doing up here?" she asked, to which Roman shrugged.

"Thought prom seemed lame. Luke and I decided to make it better."

"And I'm here to supervise," Luka informed her with a mischievous smile.

Mira turned to Roman with her biggest smile yet, and when the others were all on the roof, she tipped her head back and sang at the top of her lungs as the others danced.

 _The night is still young_

 _And so are we_

Bouncing around the roof, Mira danced and sang, twirling with Luka as the others joined. Twisting in her spot, Mira caught Roman's hand and he grinned down at her, dancing with her like he'd wanted to do down at the actual prom below.

Pulling away from the others, the pair curled their bodies closer than they would've normally dared, Roman's head tipped low to be close to Mira's.

Dani paused in her dancing long enough to prod Damon and nod in the direction of Roman and Mira. When her twin spotted them dance together, he laughed and shook his head. "Maybe all of your effort isn't wasted after all," he told her quietly, before Will drew him away and they danced together to the rapid beat of the music.

"The night is still young!" Mira sang happily, winding close in Roman's arms as they danced, with no one to see them but their family and friends, no spectators to judge or parents to worry about. "And so are we…" she finished more quietly, biting her lip, cheeks rosy with delight as Roman's fingers flexed over hers and he tenderly pressed them at her sides, which drew them closer.

Looking up at Roman in the semi-darkness of the roof, Mira realized that _this_ feeling was the one she'd wanted to have tonight. And now she had it… with Roman. The song came to an end, and the beat of silence between it and the next left Roman and Mira simply staring at each other, quite close.

"Thank you," she murmured.

Roman didn't respond, but his hands over hers squeezed gently.

* * *

"I'll see you guys at home," Roman cranked up his motorcycle, Luka seated behind him, helmet in place. Mira leaned tiredly against Will, who hugged her shoulder. As Damon and the others waved, Will released her and tugged on Damon's sleeve, leading him away from the others as Dani and Mira spoke to some friends in the parking lot, Dani's arms around Tanaka and her head on his shoulder. He'd lost his tuxedo jacket hours ago, and he seemed much happier for it.

Damon and Will walked away from the group, down the sidewalk and out of view of the others. Reaching over a hand, Damon took Will's fingers in his and smiled at him. After walking a little while, they paused to lean against a railing, fingers intertwined.

"Did you have fun tonight?" asked Damon, bringing up the hand to kiss his knuckles. Will nodded and leaned over, catching him in a brief kiss.

"Very much so," he told him, turning to face him. As he did, his eyes caught a cut on Damon's hand. Will's brows furrowed as he pointed. "That from the uh … what was it? Drunk driver at the tuxedo shop?"

"Mm," Damon glanced down. "Yes, yes it is."

At his words, Will released Damon's hand and stepped back to observe him. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he laughed, but it wasn't a very happy sound. "You know," he said with uncharacteristic bitterness, "Every day, I keep waiting for you to tell me the truth about something. And every day… you don't."

The redhead blinked, caught off guard. "What're you talking about?" he asked, his heart pounding. Will sighed and shook his head, pulling away from Damon.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Will looked over at him, standing an uncomfortable distance apart. "That shoulder you said you hurt at practice? Yeah, I saw your teammates a week ago. They said you showed up to practice like that. They had no idea how it happened."

Damon looked down at the sidewalk, his eyes shifting uneasily. "Will…"

"And all those bruises and cuts you're always getting? You lie about those, too. I know you do. What I want to know," Will came to stand in front of him. "… is why?" When Damon remained silent, his eyes low, Will bit his lip and stepped forward, taking his boyfriend's hand.

"Damon, I mean… Baby, is someone hurting you? Is it someone at school?"

"No, no," Damon shook his head fervently, tugging Will closer. "It's not like that."

"Is it… your parents? Because you can tell me if it is," Will urged, but Damon shook his head again, trying to sound as comforting and convincing as he could, even though he knew this was heading downhill.

Damon reassured him, "No, no one is hurting me or bothering me. Really, Will. You don't have to worry about this."

"You're getting hurt!" Will protested, pulling away again. "What's going on? Just tell me!" Again, he was met with silence, as Damon tucked his hands into the pocket of his slacks and shrugged uneasily. Frustration mounting, Will exhaled loudly and turned away from Damon. For a moment, his look to Damon gave the redhead hope, like he may just drop the whole thing.

Then he burst out, "No, Damon! I always give in. I always just let things go. Just – Why can't you tell me what's going on? Why are you lying?"

"Because it's not my thing to tell!" Damon exclaimed suddenly, unable to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Come on, Will. I'd tell you if I could, but I can't."

"How is it not your thing to tell?" argued Will. "You're the one who's getting hurt!"

"It just isn't," Damon pulled away, shoulders hunched. Will groaned, turning his gaze skyward, and Damon's heart sank at the hurt look on his boyfriend's face. "Will…"

"I tell you _everything,"_ choked out Will. "And now I feel like I don't even know if anything you've said to me is true."

His chin dropped to his chest, Damon swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry, Will. I really am. But there's nothing I can tell you." Silence followed, the only noises coming from the uncomfortable shuffling of Damon as he waited for Will to speak.

"So if," said Will, his voice trembling, "If I said you either tell me the truth or I leave, what would you say?"

Damon closed his eyes, fingers curling in his pockets. After a moment, he looked up at Will, his features forlorn. "I'd say… that sucks," he murmured. "Because I really, really care about you."

The pair of teens stood in front of one another for a long moment without speaking.

"Fine," bit out Will at last, eyes shining. "Then I'm gone."

Without another word, he turned away from Damon and pulled out his phone to call a cab, disappearing around the block without looking back. As soon as he was out of sight, Damon exhaled slowly, shakily, standing alone on the dark sidewalk with only the distant chatter of others to break the silence.

"DAMN IT!" he shouted to no one, reaching up his hands to his head, fingers curled in his hair.

It was almost ten minutes before he felt collected enough to return to the parking lot, but when he did so, he found Dani and Tanaka had sneaked off to be alone and only Mira waited for him.

"Hey," he said dully.

Mira glanced up from her phone and immediately frowned. "What's wrong, dude? And where's Will?"

"Let's just go," muttered her cousin with a sigh. "I'll explain later."

Not at all pleased with that answer, Mira jumped up to speak, opening her mouth to say his name – only to scream shrilly when something large and sharp between them and slammed into the ground with a loud thud.

"What in the hell?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening when she saw it was a sleek metal claw at the end of a long cable, pronged clasps buried in the concrete of the parking lot. Turning swiftly, the pair jumped back as the robot at the end of the cable yanked it into the holster.

 _Clink thud. Clink thud. Clink thud._

Over twenty more bots joined it, falling to the asphalt with mechanical thuds, lasers raised high at the two teens. "This is bad," Damon stammered as he backed away, hands already reaching for his nunchucks.

The robot at the head raised the claw gun again. "Retrieve the specimen," he ordered in flat tones. "Kill the spare."

Looking at each other sharply, Mira and Damon both pulled out their weapons and crouched. "I don't know which one I'd rather be! The specimen or the spare!" she called out, reaching for her katanas under the collar of her dress.

"Let's try neither!" Damon snapped his weapons under his arms and groaned. This was turning out to be one hell of a night.

* * *

Their walk had led them past a playground, and Dani had seen no other option than to play on the equipment.

"I was too tall for the monkey bars when I was like … nine," she giggled to Tanaka, who hopped just a bit to catch the bars and pull himself up. Scarcely any lights illuminated the park playground, but he didn't need any. Dani watched as his dark outline as he tread the bars on top of the equipment with ease, delighted when he could jump up and grab a tree branch from there.

After a few moments, he flipped back down and appeared suddenly behind Dani, catching her from behind and smiling when she turned to face him. "Thank you for coming with me tonight," she murmured, kissing him briefly. "I'm glad you're here."

 _Me too,_ he told her, signing between them. _I am happy to be here with you._

Dani bit her lip. "Good. I was afraid you wouldn't have that much fun, with you know… the whole music and dancing thing. I honestly wasn't sure."

The two teens paused next to a low stone wall and Tanaka pulled her down to sit next to him, before shifting to her to sign. _I've never been a hearing person,_ he explained to her. _So I don't know what music sounds like. But when I watch you dance, I feel like I can understand it. With you, I can see what music looks like._

Breath caught nervously in her chest, Dani smiled shyly. "And what does it look like?" she asked in a curious whisper.

Tanaka returned her smile. _Beauty,_ he answered.

The two leaned close, catching each other's lips again before curling closer, and Tanaka's arms slipped around her in, sending a thrill through her body. Unfortunately, something inside of Dani kicked violently at that moment, and she pulled away.

Tanaka's brows furrowed. _Are you okay?_

Looking all around at the seemingly peaceful night, Dani's gaze grew suspicious. "Something doesn't feel right," she told him, standing away from the low wall. Nothing happened for a few minutes, and Dani considered relaxing. "Maybe it was nothing."

But as she turned away, a clink sounded behind her, and a mechanical voice followed.

"Retrieve the specimen," it ordered, raising a clawed gun. "Kill the spare."

"Tanaka!" Dani shrieked, before the two leaped behind the wall just as the weapon shot out and clamped into the stones, narrowly missing Tanaka. With a loud growl, Tanaka reached behind his shirt and pulled out his guns, fangs bared.

"God, I hate these things!" shouted Dani, reaching for the strap on her thigh and yanking out her tessen. "On my freaking prom night! What assholes!" Jumping up, the two turned and Tanaka fired off several blasts as they turned and sprinted for an opening, jumping out into the street and only barely missing a car that swerved around them.

The bots followed immediately, ignoring all pedestrians as they fired on the two teens, stray shots hitting a light pole which collapsed in front of the pair and made them divert their paths. More bots appeared and cut off their exit, and Dani pulled back her arm, throwing out her tessen and slicing through them as Tanaka yanked on her wrist, pulling her out of the street and into an old warehouse.

"I hope Damy and the others are okay," whispered Dani just before they disappeared inside.

* * *

Will Stafford stopped in his tracks, turned, marched in the opposite direction and then stopped again, repeating the process over and over again and scolding himself each time. Finally, he faced the school again and began to stomp in its direction.

"Okay, Damon," he muttered to himself, waving his hands emphatically even though no one was with him. "We are going to talk about this like adults. We are going to work this out. And somehow, some way, we are going to – I don't know – come to an understanding, because I – " he made a desperate noise in the back of his throat, something close to a whine. "Because I love you, even though you're so dumb sometimes, and I – "

Will turned a corner to face the parking lot, never knowing until that moment that he could question his own sanity.

But oh, he could.

"DAMON!"

Mira's shriek was cut off by a kick to the stomach from one of the bots, which then made every effort to snatch her with the tethered clamp. She landed roughly on the asphalt, but rolled away from the bot and pulled up her swords, cutting through it with a yell.

"We need backup!" she yelled over to her cousin, desperately fighting three bots at once with her katana.

"Yeah, I got that!" shouted Damon in return, turning into a spin kick and knocking a bot into a wall and turning fiercely, lashing out with his kusarigama chain and catching one bot who was about to grab Mira. When the chain was firmly around it, Damon yanked back with all of his strength and sent it flying across the parking lot. When it skidded to his feet, he pulled out his blade and smashed it into the bot's skull.

Someone shouted his name.

Turning swiftly, every fear Damon had ever had – even those he hadn't realized – reared its ugly head when he spotted Will standing there, so close to the fighting, his expression wide and terrified. Will made a move to come to him, but Damon knocked a bot out of the way with his chucks and pulled out his cell phone, tossing it to Will, who caught it easily. "Get out of here and call my dad!" he ordered sharply, and Will hesitated, looking around at the bots.

Damon turned with a yell and knocked one down. "NOW, WILL!"

With a last look at Damon, Will tucked away behind some cars and disappeared with the phone.

* * *

"Honey, does this sauce taste okay to you?"

April sipped from the spoon. "Mm, it's pretty good. Maybe a little salty."

"Oh, sewer apples," muttered Donnie, turning back to the stove. On the kitchen table, his phone buzzed, and he paused in his cooking prep to pick it up. After scanning the caller ID, he placed it against his shoulder. "Hey, son. What's up?"

April turned at the sound of muffled speech, her mind already uneasy before Donnie had even answered. The desperate tones of the speaker on the other end filtered through, even if the words were unintelligible to her.

Donnie's expression from his spot dropped dramatically, and he looked to April, his lips parted. "We'll be right here," he hung up the phone and tucked it into his pocket. "Call the others," he told April, but she was already out of the kitchen and grabbing the keys.

* * *

Damon's body ached with exhaustion – these damn things seemed endless – but suddenly a new pain hit him, and it was one of those bots laying into him with a metal fist. The blow knocked him against a wall and he collapsed to the ground, the agony almost blinding. When he looked up, the bot stood in front of him, laser gun raised.

"Kill the spare," the mechanical voice said aloud, and Damon's eyes widened.

 _Thwack._ A crowbar sailed through the air in a perfect swing and smashed into the bot's head, tearing it to bits so that all was left was a bunch of popping wires. Damon flinched as it fell in front of him, and behind it revealed Will, still clenching the crow bar.

"Will," Damon managed, grabbing his arm. "Get out of here, now."

"I am not leaving you here to get killed!" hissed Will, looking over his shoulder as more bots approached. Behind them, Mira continued to fight, but she was quickly becoming surrounded. Damon struggled to stand, but the pain overtook him and he fell to his knees.

"MIRA!" he shouted, when one of the bots leaped at her from behind and closed its metal arms around her. She responded with a loud scream, drowned out from the prom by the loud pulsating music from inside.

A van appeared at the edge of the parking lot, and the bots pulled Mira kicking and screaming from her spot before snapping her wrists together and binding them with laser cuffs. "NO!" Damon fought to help her, but the doors opened and the bots tossed her inside, slamming the doors shut.

Throwing with all of his might, Damon lodged one of his kusarigama chains in the back of the van door, but it pulled out his grip and trailed behind the vehicle as it sped away.

"What's going on? Where are they taking her?" cried out Will, but more bots still remained, and they turned to Will and Damon, firing off a blast that barely missed them, instead knocking them both off their feet and to the ground. At Damon's pained cry, Will tossed his boyfriend's arm around his shoulders and prepared to pick him up.

Unfortunately, the bots were already there, guns raised. "Eliminate," one of them ordered.

The two boys flinched, tucked against each other, prepared for the shot.

Then something whistled through the air, and a massive shadow tucked into a flip and landed with a loud _thud_ in front of them. Red eyes flashed white, and Donatello stood tall in front of them, bo staff raised.

" _HOLY SHIT!"_ Will jumped as far back as he could, clutching Damon against the brick wall of the gymnasium.

With a few quick motions, Donnie fiercely dispatched the bots in front of him, one single laser shot going off and firing into the air before the mutant turtle crushed the bot with the blade of his staff. "Damon," he turned to face them, ignoring Will's frozen expression of terror. "Are you okay? Where's Dani?"

"I think I'm okay," wheezed Damon. "But I don't know where Dani is. She and Tanaka went off by them – themselves."

More bots gathered, but a tessen cut through the air, and another figure tumbled out from seemingly nowhere and cut them down. "Is that – " Will leaned forward incredulously. "Damon, is that your _mother_?"

"YAH!" April pushed off a wall and turned with a kick, laying out a bot and smashing through another one with her fan. At Damon's words, she turned to Tigerclaw, who appeared from the shadows with his lips curled in a snarl. Together, they hurried off in search of the other teens.

In the corners of the parking lot, three more turtles appeared much like Donnie had, dropping out of the sky with weapons drawn, and the bots fought and fell under their skilled attacks, metal flashing against metal with lightning fast speed.

The roar of a motorcycle came next, with Roman and Luka appearing, never having made it back to the lair before receiving the call. "Rome!" Damon called out desperately, fighting not to black out. "Mira! They took her! White van with one of my chucks stuck in the back!"

Leonardo shouted out, "Go! Now! We've got these!"

Mikey's head jerked up from his fight, and he shoved the bot aside with a brutal kick before tearing off into the street. He was already gone before Leo's order had even finished, expression fearsome as he leaped up onto the rooftops and ran alongside the streets.

With a loud whir of the motorcycle, Roman snapped down his helmet visor and turned the bike around, tires squealing against the asphalt as he and Luka followed.

* * *

"Damn it!"

Dani pulled back around the crate and winced as more bots entered the warehouse, tossing anything aside to find them. "There are way too many to fight!" she mouthed to Tanaka, glad he could see her in the dark open room. Tanaka peeked around the crate, eyes flashing as he glanced around the room.

Something caught his gaze and he studied it, wincing when one of the bots fired a laser blast very close to him. He signed quickly to Dani, pointing up. When Dani followed his gaze, she spotted a pallet of crates partly suspended by a crane, waiting in the corner of the warehouse closest to the advancing bots.

 _Knock that down,_ he told her, pulling a cartridge out of one gun and replacing it with something different from his pockets. He locked it into place quickly and pulled himself into a low crouch. Her heart pounding in her ears, Dani pulled out her tessen and squinted, trying to make out the angle in the semidarkness.

The bots advanced, guns raised. "Retrieve the specimen," the one in front sounded. "Kill the spare."

"You're not retrieving or killing shit tonight," murmured Dani spitefully, tossing out her tessen so that it swooped sharply at an angle. The tessen made contact with the crane and knocked the crates loose, which caused them to the drop to the floor and break. The containers inside burst and leaked, spilling out onto the floor as the bots turned automatically, drawn by the noise.

 _Be ready to run,_ Tanaka signed to her.

Turning sharply, he raised his guns in a flash of movement and shot two simultaneous blasts. The resulting discharges struck the liquid on the ground and burst into flame, catching the group of bots and blazing through them.

The explosion knocked all of them, including Dani and Tanaka, off their feet and to the floor. The flames jumped away from the ground and caught other crates, and before Dani realized what was happening, Tanaka snatched her hand and pulled her at full-speed out of the back of the warehouse. More dangerous crackling sounded from inside, and one of the laser guns of the bots must have gone off, because another explosion sounded.

Dani and Tanaka barely made it down the block before the entire warehouse burst into flames, the resulting _boom_ echoing loudly enough to be heard all over the city. They stopped to stare, chests heaving. "Come on," Dani pulled on him. "Let's get the hell out of here."

* * *

Inside the speeding van, a certain young ninja screamed, kick and generally made things very difficult for her captors in any way she possibly could, even going so far as to roll around on the floor, hands bound, to try and knock them over. One of them kicked her and put her back in place, but she was undeterred.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" she bellowed, if only to cause trouble and not because it might actually help her. The van raced on at breakneck speed, dodging traffic and racing through traffic lights, which meant she and the bots moved from side to side in the back rather precariously, rolling around like poorly packed luggage.

 _THUD._

Something heavy dented the roof of the van, and Mira and the bots looked up just in time to see two blades smash through the top and cut deep rivets in ominous lines.

"Ooooh!" Mira cried out with delight. "You guys are in trouble now!"

On top of the van, Michelangelo slashed and cut through the top of the moving van, fighting to get inside. Four of the bots in the back grabbed their guns, and when the hole was big enough, they leaped up through it before Mikey had the chance. The battle began like a spark turned into a fire, bursting into a flurry of movement and lethal assaults.

On the street, a red motorcycle raced behind the van, two riders on the back as they zipped between cars, narrowly avoiding traffic and skirting dangerously close to other vehicles. Up ahead, Mikey fought four bots on the top of the moving van, which turned sharply and sped onto the Manhattan Bridge, brightly lit against the dark night sky.

Roman cranked up the speed and rushed up behind the van, edging as close as he dared. Other cars stopped and pulled aside to let the mad racers go by, and the van swerved around them, nearly knocking Mikey off the top. Roman pulled up the bike and ramped over one parked car, landing on the ground with a bounce of the tires.

"Get closer!" called Luka from behind him. "I can get to the door!"

"No way!" Roman answered sharply, yelling over the noise. "I'm not letting you get on that van!"

Luka pushed up his helmet visor. "Well, I can't drive a motorcycle!" he snapped in response. "Do you want Mira back or not?"

At that moment, two of the bots knocked Mikey onto his shell and nearly sent him flying off the van, but the turtle snatched the passenger side door and held on tightly. "Fine!" Roman sped up and pushed the motorcycle behind the van, and Luka stood up shakily on the seat, his helmet back in place.

With one whispered prayer, Luka leaped off the back of the motorcycle and grabbed one of the handles on the back of the van, swinging around and slamming his feet against the opposite door. The van continued on, oblivious to Luka as Mikey continued the fight up top.

Fighting against the wind and hoping his grip would hold, Luka reached over his shoulder and found his staff under his shirt. He pulled it out, pressed the button that extended it to its full length and then jabbed the blade as hard as he could in the wedge between the double doors.

Pulling with all of his strength against the lock, Luka planted his feet and yanked on the door.

It swung open, and Luka swung with it, slamming into the side of the van with only one hand on the handle keeping him from falling into the street at seventy miles per hour, or worse, falling off the edge of the Manhattan Bridge and its blur of twinkling lights.

"LUKA!" Roman shouted from his spot, but the youngest Hamato twisted against the van and managed to push off, swinging around the van with the door and letting it toss him into the open side of the back, where he tumbled into the van with Mira and one other bot.

The bot made a whirring noise and raised his gun, but Luka twirled his staff and cut out its legs from beneath it. "DUDE!" Mira shouted happily, kicking her legs. "That was so badass!" Luka flipped off his visor and dropped shakily in front of her, trying to get the cuffs off.

"Yeah," he laughed, barely staving off a full-body tremor. "Remind me never to do that again – "

Suddenly, Mikey and the last remaining bot dropped through the roof of the van through the hole he'd made, and they crashed to the van floor. The bot jumped up and turned to fire on Mikey, but the turtle hit him with one of his nunchucks and the gun jerked to the side, firing off a shot towards the front of the van.

It struck the bot driving in the front, and the van lurched violently.

From behind, Roman could only watch as the van skidded and began to spin, out of control at breakneck speed. It smashed into another car, which turned and t-boned another. All three vehicles squealed and sputtered, turning and flipping over on the street with loud scrapes.

The van finally reached the end of the bridge only to tumble to its side, flipping wildly once, twice and then a third time before it crashed on its side once more and skidded to a stop in a haze of sparks and flashes.

When at last it came to a stop, Mira slowly sat up. Her arm was bleeding and her head was spinning, but nothing seemed broken. Touching her head tenderly, she looked over at Mikey, who shook his head to clear it and then jumped over to Mira, pulling her into a hug.

"Whoa!" Mira grinned, hugging his neck. "That was wild." Turning, she shifted to the back of the van. "Luka, you okay?"

No response. Mira's brows furrowed, and she and Mikey turned, crawling from the overturned van. "Luka?" called Mira again when she didn't see him.

But then she spotted Roman several feet away, all but running off of his motorcycle before it came to a complete stop, letting it fall carelessly to the ground as he half-ran, half-stumbled towards something.

From her spot, Mira could only stare, unable to move, heartbeat frozen in place. At last, she let out a strangled yell.

"LUKA!"

* * *

 _February 2015_

The house was dark.

It had never been dark when he'd come home, no matter the hour. As Tigerclaw jumped out of his vehicle, his limbs felt strangely weak. He realized, without ever consciously acknowledging it, that what he felt was a fear deeper and more potent than anything he'd ever known.

The front door was partially open when he approached, and Tigerclaw moved out a hand to nudge it further.

Stepping inside, Tigerclaw instinctively listened for the sounds of someone moving inside. He heard nothing, and a heavy, uncomfortable sensation welled in his chest.

"Emily?" he called out, but he heard nothing still.

Moving out of the foyer and through the kitchen, the scent hit him with sudden force, like a punch to the stomach. _Blood_. He called out her name again, turning to the staircase that led to their rooms. His foot hit something, and when he looked down, he realized it was the limp arm of Akiko.

The sight of her body, collapsed at the bottom of the stairs and cold with death, made an unfamiliar noise bubble in the back of Tigerclaw's throat. He leaped over her and hurried up the stairs, his shouts becoming more desperate.

"Emily!" he called out again, coming to the top of the stair. "Where are you?"

He moved to their hall, and his eyes adjusted to the darkness in a way that was almost too vivid. The smell of blood grew thicker, and the scent of it propelled Tigerclaw forward until he reached their door. It was ajar, but only slightly.

With a trembling hand, Tigerclaw reached forward and pushed it open.

The noise he made was quiet, nearly nonexistent, but it echoed in his ears like the first clap of a thunderstorm, jarring and terrifying and _cruel._

Her bare foot appeared first, and then the edges of her nightgown, which lay prettily against her calf. The color of the nightgown was white, but everything except the edges held the dark scarlet stain of blood. Edging forward, Tigerclaw came to stand over her and then dropped to his knees.

"Emily," he murmured again, reaching forward to turn her head so he could see her face, his hands brushing her hair out of her eyes. They were still open – his lips curled in a snarl that threatened to devolve into a hysterical cry – but there was nothing there.

She was dead. His Emily was dead, and the torn shreds of her abdomen told him with no uncertainty that she had suffered. Deep wounds lacerated her front and made their sinister way up her pale neck, dotting her cheek with blood.

He searched her face for signs of life. He listened for her pulse, hoping against the bitterness that raged inside of him that he was wrong. That she could live, that she had a chance. But there was nothing there, and Tigerclaw's shoulders hunched forward tightly, trembling with rage.

How dare this _corpse_ lie here, looking like Emily? What had this hollow, despicable shell ever done to deserve the honor of housing the only soul he'd ever cared for? How could she have laughed just hours ago, but lie here now, with nothing to do or say or feel or _anything,_ god, what had this _body done for her?_

How could he hold this body against him, already cooling with the after effects of death, knowing that it had once spoken with Emily's voice, but now had abandoned her?

Everything he had known and loved about Emily had been kept here, in this unfairly still body, which was left behind like a gruesome afterthought and the very idea, the knowledge of what it _had been_ but now _was_ filled Tigerclaw with a bout of fury he had never known.

His powerful hands curled tightly on her arms, and he wondered if they would bruise.

With a great, loud shout, Tigerclaw leaned over her body and clawed at the floor, fingers curled tensely against the carpet.

The sounds of his own distress were quickly cut off by another noise, and Tigerclaw's head jerked up. The cries sounded from nearby, and in that moment, he remembered – _Tanaka._

Jumping up from his spot, Tigerclaw rushed around the room, trying to locate the sobbing. Then, stopping in front of the bathroom closet, he ripped open the doors and pulled the toddler down from the high shelf where he was hidden.

"Tanaka," Tigerclaw gasped, as he wrapped his arms around the crying boy and hugged him tight to his torso.

He only pulled him away to check him over, but the little boy was fine, despite his tears. Tanaka made a crossing motion over his heart. _Mother,_ he signed over and over again, expression pinched with distress. _Mother. Mother._

Tigerclaw reached up and closed his large paw over the little boy's hands, stopping him from making the sign. "No," he murmured, closing his eyes for a moment. "No."

Tanaka didn't understand, and he began to cry again. Covering the little boy's eyes, Tigerclaw took him from the bathroom, past Emily's body and out of the room.

The two sat outside the house in the front garden, with the young boy strangely quiet and still. As the sun began to rise, Tigerclaw stood at last and picked up, carrying him in his arms down to the village, where he found the home of the midwife who had helped Emily deliver almost three years ago.

"I need you to take him," he told her in his most even tones. When he handed Tanaka over to the midwife, the toddler began to wail and reach for him again, but Tigerclaw took a step back and purposefully looked away. "I will return for him when I can."

The woman looked at the toddler in her arms. "But Tora-san, where is his mother?"

Tigerclaw pulled up the hood of his cloak and pulled back further from Tanaka's desperate reach for him. "Keep him here," he said, not answering her question. "I will be back soon."

Without another word, he turned away from the crying toddler and the confused woman, ducking his head against the offensive sunset and leaving the village behind.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry this update took so long. I've had a LOT going on, and honestly, I wasn't sure how many people were keeping up with this story, so I didn't feel pressured to continue. But if you are, don't worry! I haven't forgotten it!

Here, have sadness and everyone blaming themselves because reasons.

* * *

It had been hours.

At one point, the Hamato clan had all crowded into the waiting room at the hospital, but that meant all the turtles had to hide, and Leonardo eventually sneaked in from Luka's room, face solemn, and quietly asked everyone to wait at the lair instead.

Ame and Leonardo remained behind at the hospital with Aniyah, who had jumped right into work alongside the emergency room doctors. While Ame waited in the hallways, pacing as if in a daze, Leo hovered nearby in the shadows, where Aniyah checked in with him frequently.

Luka wasn't awake. He hadn't opened his eyes once since Roman, Mikey and Mira, distraught and frenzied, had lifted the overturned car off of him.

The wild car chase and the horrific pile-up that had happened as a result were in the news, but the media was baffled as to its cause. The Hamatos – and the mysterious robots – had all disappeared.

"We'll know more in a few hours," Aniyah told Leo and Ame for what felt like the hundredth time, her words quiet.

So the grieving parents waited.

* * *

The lair, too, was unnaturally quiet.

The family sat in various states of quiet but fervent anguish. The kids were still dressed in their formal wear, but Roman's white shirt was doused in blood. He hadn't bothered to remove it, and now he simply sat on the couch, elbows on his knees, a thousand yard stare on the ground in front of him.

Still in her dress, Mira sat in a large chair, curled up in her mother's lap. Mel smoothed her hand over Mira's hair, still tears lining the corners of her eyes. Their faces looked eerily identical, puffy and red and miserly.

Daniella and Tanaka had been collected soon after, and they'd entered the lair with a great flourish, excited about their getaway. As soon as Dani saw everyone's faces, her eyes darted around the room, alert and anxious.

"Where's Luka?" she had asked immediately, only to spot Roman's crumbled expression and bloody shirt. She hadn't asked any more questions after that, her hand immediately jumping to her face as tears poured down her cheeks. April had caught her then and explained in whispers, and Dani looked across the lair for Damon.

But Damon wasn't looking at her, and as soon as April said the words aloud – _he hasn't woken up_ – the normally placid redhead jumped up, expression furious, and stalked out of the room.

From his spot on the couch, Will rose to go after him, only to get shoved back onto the cushions by Raphael.

"Sit your ass down," growled the turtle.

Will held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Please, I just want to make sure Damon's okay – "

"He's not going anywhere, Dad," muttered Roman bleakly from his spot. "You don't have to worry about him."

Raphael grunted and looked over at Will, eyeing him over before he folded his arms. "Fine," he said at last, "But if I have to come and find you, you're gonna regret it."

Nodding slowly, Will stood cautiously from his spot and hurried in the direction Damon had gone. He found him after searching for a few minutes. Damon stood against a brick wall, aged and cracked, in some kind of corner with chairs and makeshift tables of packing crates. Damon didn't look up as Will approached, and for a moment, neither of them said anything.

Finally, Will slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks, took a deep breath, and asked timidly, "So are you guys like … Power Rangers?"

Damon made a little noise that might've been a laugh, pitiful as it was. "No," he murmured, eyes on the ground. After a moment, he added hoarsely, "We're ninjas."

Will gave a slow nod. "That was going to be my second guess," he said lightly, hoping for a smile. He didn't get it.

Instead, Damon looked up at him sharply, his expression suddenly tight with fear. "You can't tell anyone, Will. I mean it!"

Will blinked. "What? No, of course not – "

"I mean it," exclaimed Damon desperately, hurrying forward and grabbing Wills arms. "You can't, you have to keep it a secret, you can't tell anyone! Because – because if you do," he choked a little, his body trembling, " – someone might come and take my dad and my uncles, put them in labs or worse, please, Will – "

"Baby, calm down – "

"Promise me, Will!"

"I swear!" Will reached forward and snatched Damon's shoulders, steadying him and lowering his voice to a soft whisper. "Baby, calm down, I – Look, I'll be honest." He breathed in deeply. "I have no idea what the hell is going on right now, and I'm pretty sure I'm hallucinating this whole thing, but I would never… ever do anything to hurt you or your family."

At this, Damon calmed a bit, biting his lip until it turned blood red.

"Hey…" Will reached up a hand, pushing it over Damon's shaggy hair, his heart aching, because he'd never seen Damon look like this, so scared and upset. "Shh, it's okay. I would never do that to you, no matter what. Please, just… take a deep breath."

"I'm sorry," whispered Damon, eyes filling with tears. "I'm just – I'm just so _fucking_ worried about Luka." With that, he broke down sobbing, head tucking against Will's front, and his boyfriend immediately took him in his arms and held him tight, tears of his own threatening. He might never forget the way Damon trembled against him, weeping without words, barely able to stand.

Eventually, Will led Damon over to one of the seats, and they sat in one together. Damon cried harder than Will had ever seen in his seventeen years.

"It's my fault," Damon finally managed to whisper. "If I would've fought better, Mira wouldn't have been taken and – and Luka wouldn't have – "

"Hey, stop," said Will firmly, cupping Damon's cheek. "You fought like, thirty of those things. There were too many. You did exactly what you were supposed to."

"I just – damn it – " Damon bowed his head, and for a moment, he became distracted by how wet he'd made Will's nice tux shirt. After taking a few deep breaths, he looked up tearfully at Will's face.

"Why were you there, Will? I thought you'd left already. Why did you come back?"

Will paused, and he scanned Damon's face for a long moment before speaking. "Because," he said at last, his voice gentle, "It only took me about fifteen minutes of being apart from you to realize I missed you more than anything." Tucking his head against Damon's, he curled their fingers. "And I'm sorry for pushing you about the injuries. I – I think I get it now. Sort of."

"I'll explain more later," whispered Damon, holding tightly to Will's hand.

"That's okay," said Will, giving his boyfriend a tiny smile. "I think I've gotten about all I can handle for tonight."

They sat together for several more minutes before Will stood and pulled a reluctant Damon to his feet. "Look, love. I'll hold you all night if you want… but I think your family needs you right now. Dani needs you, for sure," said Will, and Damon nodded sadly before he let Will lead him back to the living room.

There, they found the group of people and mutants much like they had left them, all sitting apart, morose and quiet. Damon stood at the entryway with Will, unwilling to move further. Everyone seemed so distanced.

Even Tanaka was further away than before, standing next to Tigerclaw, who had – in a rare moment of physical comfort – put a hand on his son's shoulder. Whatever this tragedy reflected in Tigerclaw's past, it read clearly on his grave features.

At last, Roman looked up, and his eyes scanned his remaining cousins.

Then, with a determined grimace, he stood and reached out, tugging Dani tenderly to her feet. Without saying a word, he led her to Mira, and he pulled her from Mel's lap. Damon moved without being ordered, and the four of them moved away from the others to the dojo.

There, they sat together in a tight circle, hands linked and eyes closed.

* * *

Leonardo came to the lair some time much later in the night, when the early hours of the morning threatened. The adults gathered around him.

"He's stable," said Leonardo at last, his features tired, only a hint of relief taking away some of the heaviness. Donatello picked up on it instantly.

"But…?" questioned the tall turtle.

Leo's features, normally so calm, clenched as if he was fighting to effort to succumb to complete misery. "But," he continued in low tones, speaking only to the adults, "… When he wakes up… which the doctors say will be soon – " Leo stopped here, and suddenly he pushed his hands over his head in a frantic gesture, eyes closing tightly.

"When he wakes up," Leonardo continued in trembling tones, "We will have to explain to our twelve-year-old son that he lost his right leg from the knee down." At this, Leo pitched forward, leaning heavily on the doorframe to support himself as he fought to keep his composure. "How do you do that?" he asked his brothers, eyes on them, desperate for an answer.

"How do you explain something like that to your _child_?"

Mikey jumped forward and instantly enveloped Leonardo in a hug, and the other two brothers moved forward as well, encircling their strong leader as he cried, hard and briefly for just a few moments before he calmed himself.

Mikey wiped away his own tears. "You should have seen him, Leo. He was so – so freaking brave, helping Mira and fighting those robots. He was – I mean, wow. I – I don't think I can ever tell him – how much it means," at this, he stopped talking as well, and Melanie curled her arms around his large one, head on his shoulder.

Leo breathed in quickly. "Aniyah says," he cleared his throat, "Aniyah says he's going to need a prosthetic. She thinks the hospital might be able to get him one, but…" he looked over at Donnie then, and his brother instantly lit up.

"Wh – Yes, Leo! Definitely! I can – I can do that, yes! No, don't let the hospital do it, I can – April, sweetie – "

"I'll get the lab ready," she said quickly, but Donnie was already muttering to himself, plans and measurements and so on. Then he looked at Leo with a fierce, determined nod. "He'll have the very best, Leo. I swear it."

"I know," said the turtle in blue with a sad smile. He and Donnie exchanged meaningful looks before Donnie and April dashed off to the lab. Raphael watched them go and shook his head.

"Y'know, he's the only turtle I can think of in this whole world who responds to stress by _adding_ more stress," he muttered wryly. Leo managed a dry chuckle, and Raphael gave him a sympathetic pat before winding an arm around Leo's shoulders.

"I did this," Leo muttered bitterly as they descended into the lair. "I pushed him too hard, I did – "

"Leo, no, shut up. That's not true."

"It is, Raphael. I was too busy trying to be a damn Sensei, I was – I was terrible to him, I – I put too much pressure on him!"

"Stop," said Raphael firmly. "He's gonna be okay, and you're a great dad. Stop giving yourself such a hard time."

They paused outside of the dojo, each staring in wonder as they saw the other four teens – Roman, Damon, Dani and Mira – sitting in the center of the floor, hands poised on their knees, legs crossed, eyes closed.

Roman said, "Rin. Pyo. Toh."

The others chanted behind him, and Dani was still crying, but Roman continued, despite his own trembling voice.

"Sha. Kai. Jin."

The meditation went on, and each time one of them stumbled, Roman slowly, patiently repeated it. Each time someone hesitated or succumbed to tears, he reached for them. And so on the teens, who complained at every single opportunity about meditation and ritual, evoked the only spiritual comfort they'd known.

"Well, would you look at that," murmured Raphael. "Looks like we taught 'em somethin' afterall."

* * *

It took a few days for Luka to wake up, but when he did, the first thing he did was ask if Mira was okay.

Leonardo and Ame crowded around his bed, Aniyah vigilant and jubilant at the door to the hospital room, ready to warn them if someone else came along.

"She's fine, my love," said Ame tenderly, sweeping him into a teary hug. "You and the others saved her."

"Really?" asked Luka, struggling against his weakness, eyes drooping. "Wow…" He looked over at Leo then, who was fighting back tears. At last, the turtle reached forward and took his son's hand.

"I'm so proud of you," he managed at last. Luka's lips quirked.

"Because I was a good ninja?"

Leo shook his head slowly. "Because you're a great person," he told him instead, voice cracking, and Luka actually smiled at this, squeezing Leo's hand in return. After a little while, they explained to him the strange sensations in his leg – namely the pain from the amputation. It was slowly healing, but he would be able to come home soon, they told him.

Luka didn't cry, as they'd expected him to do. Perhaps he was still too drowsy or weak, but either way, he simply laid back against his pillow and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. As his parents waited anxiously for his response, Luka remained silent, until he finally turned his head to them.

"At least it's not my hand. Can I have my sketchbook while I'm here?"

* * *

The normal rule for visitors in the hospital room was two. But no one was about to stop a bunch of ninjas from crowding into Luka's room.

They also quickly discovered that yes, five teenagers COULD actually all fit on a hospital bed, much to their immense happiness.

* * *

Luka came home two weeks later. Thankfully, the robots hadn't attacked again, and even though the turtles had scoured the city, they still hadn't figured out where they had gone.

Luka's cousins had visited him at the hospital, but everyone knew they wouldn't fully believe he was okay until he came home. When he finally did, Donatello brought him into the lab in a wheelchair before hoisting him up on the medical table.

"Alrighty, kiddo, let's see how this healing is going," said the chipper turtle, carefully taking off the bandaging of Luka's leg as the boy kicked his good leg idly. The lair had returned much to its normal state, which meant everyone was bustling in and out.

"Where's Roman?" asked Luka. "I got home from the hospital yesterday, but I haven't seen him yet."

"He's around here somewhere," said Donnie vaguely, eyes on the wound as he made some notes. Unbeknownst to either of them, Roman lingered nearby in the lair's kitchen. He knew Luka was in the lab, and he wanted to see him, but instead he'd become rooted to his spot, staring at an old group photo of the kids that had been on the lair's fridge for years.

In the photo, Dani and Damon were laughing, no more than eight or so years old. Mira's bushy head was in the background, and Roman and Luka were at the front. Luka had been so tiny – a little toddler – and he was riding on Roman's back, like always, giving one of his rare but brilliant smiles.

A lump formed in Roman's throat.

He wanted to go see Luka, and he moved through the lair to do just that, but as soon as he rounded the door and saw Luka on the table – half of his right leg just _gone_ – Roman stumbled back away from the door with a choked noise, a sudden furious pain in his chest.

Reaching up a hand and pushing it roughly over his face, Roman fought to gain control of himself. Luka was fine, he was _fine_ , he was alive – and yes, he'd lost his leg, but Roman hadn't actually seen it in the hospital, and now – how could he face him? When he'd failed so much as a leader? An injury like that – how could Luka not hate him?

Tears pushed at Roman's eyes.

"Roman?" came a voice.

Roman jerked down his hands just in time to see his father round the corner. "What's going on?" asked Raphael, brows furrowed. Roman tucked his head, shrinking shamefully as he'd done when he was very small and had gotten in trouble. "I can't go in there," he whispered to Raphael. "I can't, I can't do it, Dad. I did that – " he pointed to the lab. "I'm supposed to protect him, and I did that!"

"Hey, hey," Raphael grabbed Roman's arms and pulled him away from the lab. "Roman, calm yourself down. You let Luka see you like that, you're just gonna freak him out! You gotta be strong for him, you hear me?"

Raphael's son bowed his head, tears pouring down his face. "I don't know if I can," he admitted quietly.

His father sighed and put a hand up on Roman's face. "Hey, son. You look at me." Roman obeyed, albeit reluctantly, and Raphael continued, "You are the leader. And you're not the leader 'cause you're the oldest or because you're the best ninja. You're the leader because you've got what it takes to take care of your family and make difficult choices."

"I made the wrong choice," whispered Roman. "I let Luka jump on that van, and I should've just – I don't know, figured something out." He breathed in shakily. "I want to be strong like you, but – "

"Rome, I'm not the leader of this clan," Raphael reminded him gently. "And you know why? Because when it came down to one of my brother's getting' hurt… I couldn't handle it. I froze up. I may have the skill, but that kind of level-headed thinkin' just ain't me. And that's okay. But you – you've got it."

Pulling his son into an embrace, Raphael pulled away and squeezed Roman's shoulders. "You can make those choices that I couldn't when I was your age. You're the leader. You can keep fightin' the good fight, even when bad things happen. I know you can."

Raphael wiped away the last of Roman's tears. "Now, you little cousin wants to see you. So go in there and see him. And you be strong for him, you hear me?" Roman sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

"Thanks, dad," he murmured with a tiny smile. Raphael returned it and patted him on the back.

After talking himself up for a few moments, Roman entered the lab briskly, a smile pressed carefully onto his features. "There you are, Luke," he said as soon as he saw his cousin. The younger boy looked up and instantly smiled, his joy much more genuine than Roman's.

"Hey, I was wondering where you were," he commented, and Roman knew there was a tiny hint of wisdom hidden there, as if he knew Roman had been avoiding him. Roman relaxed a little. He didn't have to baby Luka, even if Luka WAS the baby. His cousin was too smart for that. If anything, he was the one who usually took care to cater to Roman.

Which he did even now, by looking positively calm and unbothered by his situation, even as Donnie measured his leg once last time.

"Ready to try out the prosthetic? You'll probably still have soreness, so don't feel like you have to wear it all the time," Donnie said to him, and Luka nodded. However, when Donnie turned around with the prosthetic in hand, Luka hesitated.

"Uh, Uncle Donnie? You didn't… modify this in any way, did you?"

The turtle blinked. "… Well, that depends on what you mean by modify."

"Is it explosive?" deadpanned the twelve year old. Roman snickered while Donnie bristled.

"Why – I – Well, I mean, I _considered_ some mechanized weaponry – Okay, but I didn't do it. Geez, doesn't anyone trust me around here?" he muttered. "Nothing is going to explode!"

"Just checking," said Luka lightly. Donnie made a face at him before carefully fixing the prosthetic leg to the joint. Fortunately, Luka still had his knee, and so he had a great deal of mobility. Donnie strapped on the prosthetic and then slowly let it drop to give Luka a feel for the weight.

"Let me know how that feels," Donnie said, already scribbling notes. "It might pinch or rub. If it does, let me know and I'll fix it. Also let me know it feels too light or too heavy. I worked with a couple of different materials to make it as easy to use as possible."

Luka nodded mildly, not saying much as he kicked both legs, now with two heels to knock against the table he sat on. Roman watched him with an unwavering gaze, and Luka glanced up for just a moment, catching Roman's unusually pensive stare.

Then Luka looked at his legs again, kicking them still, and he smiled.

Roman blinked. "What in the world could you possibly be smiling about?" he asked, unable to hide his surprise. Luka looked over to him.

"You know who else has a fake leg?" Luka asked in response, and Roman raised a brow curiously. "Hiccup," Luka answered, smiling reassuringly at Roman. "And he trains _dragons_."

Roman stared, and then he suddenly felt the overwhelming desire to cry all over again. Finally, he managed a somewhat choked chuckle instead, the corners of his eyes wet.

"That is… pretty badass," he agreed softly.

* * *

Within a few days of Luka's return home, Leo gathered the other Hamatos at the lair.

"We still haven't found any signs of the robots," he reported to the others, and Roman shook his head with a curse.

"I don't get it," he grunted. "Why were they trying to kill some of us and kidnap the others?"

"Isn't it obvious?" growled Tigerclaw, appearing from a shadow and startling everyone except Tanaka, who seemed quite used to it. When the others stared, Tigerclaw scowled heavily. "They were after the hybrids," he snapped, pointing at Tanaka and then at Mira, who blinked and looked around.

"That was my first thought as well," noted Donatello, tapping his chin. "But why? Seems to be if they were aware that Tanaka and Mira were hybrids, they should also be aware of all of us. You'd think they would want all of the kids, even if just for leverage."

"I have my suspicions about the source of these bots," said Tigerclaw lowly. "If they are seeking out hybrids, there can be only one organization that would do such a thing."

"You can't possibly mean… the Kraang?" asked Leo hesitantly. "They're gone, Tigerclaw. We took out every Kraang base we could find years ago."

"The Kraang have been around since long before you and your turtle brothers were born," pointed out Tigerclaw fiercely. "Do not give yourself so much credit. They can never be truly annihilated… They are like germs. They have a way of coming back." As the others took in this ominous thought, Tigerclaw rolled his eyes. "Though, what they plan to do with two hybrids is beyond me. It's not as if they can hope to breed them."

Tanaka made a face at the thought of being 'bred'.

"Wait," said Mira slowly. "Why couldn't they? I am a girl, in case you haven't been paying attention."

"Because you idiot," growled Tigerclaw impatiently, as Donnie, Mikey and Mel all frantically waved their arms and shook their heads (" _no, no no no no")_ "Hybrids are _sterile_. And infertile."

" _What_?!" shrieked Mira.

Donnie rushed over to her reassuringly. "We're working on it, sweetie," he told her before ushering her away from Tigerclaw. The large tiger rolled his eyes and ignored her.

"If this really is the Kraang, they've got some new tech," commented Raphael gruffly. "And they've got help comin' in from somewhere. Someone is feedin' them information somehow."

"Yes," agreed Tigerclaw slowly. They all paused to fall into a moment of thought. Then Tigerclaw straightened and turned, snatching up a bag of weapons.

"Where the hell are you going?" asked Raphael, and Tigerclaw shouldered the bag.

"I am leaving," he said flatly. "If the Kraang are involved, I want nothing to do with them."

"What?" yelped Mikey. "You can't leave us now! This whole mess started when you guys came here, and now they're after my daughter!"

"That is not my problem," snapped Tigerclaw, before turning to face a stunned Tanaka. "Get your things. We will leave for Japan within the hour."

Tanaka blinked before he began to sign frantically, but Tigerclaw cut him off. "Now!" he growled at Tanaka, who stared before motioning again.

 _Father, we need to help them! The Kraang will hurt them!_

"We have done what we can," sneered Tigerclaw. When Tanaka tried to argue, the tiger mutant balled his fist and growled loudly. "I said now, Tanaka!"

The young man froze in his spot, bewildered. Then he looked over at Dani, who stood nearby, her eyes wide and her expression crumbling. She wanted to run to him, to try to say something reassuring. To let him know that it was okay to go, because she knew Tigerclaw wouldn't stay.

For a moment, Tanaka simply bowed his head in defeat and made a move as if to follow Tigerclaw out of the lab. Then he stopped, his eyes narrowed deeply. Tanaka's head snapped up at Tigerclaw's retreating back, and he marched forward to a lab table.

 _BANG_!

Tanaka slammed his hands so hard on the table, the legs creaked under the impact. The reverberating noise echoed throughout the entire lab, and everyone watched on in silence as Tigerclaw froze at the door before turning slowly, expression dangerous, to face Tanaka.

Standing far apart from his father, Tanaka signed fiercely.

 _I am not leaving!_

Tigerclaw straightened slowly, his eyes hard on Tanaka.

 _You treat me like a child!_ Tanaka continued angrily, baring his fangs just once at Tigerclaw, who watched him closely. _This family needs our help! And I will not leave until I help them._

Tanaka and Tigerclaw stared at each other from across the lab. _And if you leave me now,_ continued Tanaka with an audible growl, _I will never,_ _ **ever**_ _return home!_

The battle of wills lingered uneasily in the lab for a long, tense moment. Then Tigerclaw sneered.

"So be it," he growled at last, before turning and leaving the lab. The door shut behind him.

Tanaka's expression flickered, and the anger mixed with despair, even as his jaw remained clenched and his body stayed in its spot. The other Hamatos looked over at him before slowly leaving the lab as well, leaving only Daniella with Tanaka, who pulled himself away from the table and curled into a corner, eyes low.

Dani appeared in front of him, her freckled features curled into a sad smile. "Hey…" she murmured, reaching out and curling her fingers at Tanaka's neck. "Tanaka," she said once he was looking up at her, his strange eyes terribly sad. "Tanaka, I – I won't blame you … if you want to follow him."

Tanaka blinked at her before he bit his lip and breathed in, a hint of his rarely heard voice audible in the shaky inhale. _He thought I would go with him,_ he signed to her sadly. _And I thought he would stay._ The hybrid managed a wry smile. _We were both wrong._

Dani swiped a thumb over his cheek, and she could never before remembering aching so much for someone else's sadness. These last few weeks had been draining, to say the least.

So she simply curled Tanaka in her arms and they stayed in the lab a little while, not talking at all.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: So glad to see people are still interested in this story! I love these kids. After this story is over, I'll probably do a write-up about their lives on my tumblr, just because. Anyway.

Also, don't forget this story follows the Penance/Ryoshuu timeline, so Tigerclaw was defeated with Shredder by Leo (the same time he killed Snake!Karai). The turtles thought he was dead, but the Kraang found him and brought him back from the brink of death. And now…

* * *

 _November 2015_

"That's the last of them, guys."

The other three teen turtles looked up at their leader as he housed his katana back in their holsters. "Donnie, get on the computers and see if you can track down any more of their bases," ordered Leo, moving slowly around the Kraang's main console, where it sat in the center of the cold and clinical room.

"I wonder how many they have," mused Mikey as he prodded a random button. "Just think, dudes. We're rid of Shredder, and if we keep going like this, we'll be rid of the Kraang, too. We can all be safe!"

Leonardo scanned the room thoughtfully, still uneasy. Taking down Shredder had been a big accomplishment, though it had come with a price. What price would the extermination of the Kraang cost them, he wondered.

"Hey, uh, guys."

The other three turtles looked in Donnie's direction, and the tall turtle straightened away from the Kraang console, which now flickered with several different screens. "I didn't find any other Kraang bases, but I did get access to their security cameras for this facility. And look."

Raphael peered over Donnie's shoulder and grimaced. "They've got like, fifty test subjects locked in here," he said, eyes flickering between the many screens, each one of which showed a staticky image of some poor imprisoned mutant or animal. Some were pacing, others were strapped to tables, and others still were curled in the corner of austere steel floors. None of the rooms had beds, windows or tables.

"This is fucked up," declared Raphael with a deep scowl. "Man, I hate the Kraang."

Suddenly, Mikey gasped loudly and pointed to the far right corner. "No way! Guys!" The other turtles gathered around him.

"Impossible," said Leo, taking a step back from the screen.

"There's no way!" Donnie hurriedly zoomed in the camera on that particular room, and within moments, he tracked down its number and location. "Come on."

A few minutes later, Donnie hacked his way into the cell and the four turtles entered, only to find they hadn't been mistaken – in front of them, strapped to a table and in a condition that barely qualified as living – was Tigerclaw.

"What should we do?" whispered Mikey.

Leo observed Tigerclaw's barely conscious form for a long moment before he moved forward stoically. With a slash of his blades, he cut away the binds keeping Tigerclaw strapped to the Kraang's table, and he and Raphael caught Tigerclaw before the tiger slumped to the ground.

"Wh – What…" The confused feline blinked at them blearily.

"Come on, Tigerclaw…"

Some hours later, after food and drink had replenished the older mutant's senses, Leonardo sat down with Tigerclaw, one-on-one. Tigerclaw, the mutant who'd helped Shredder rise to the unbelievable position of power that had led to the series of destructive events which haunted Leonardo for years to come.

"Why should I let you go free?" asked the sixteen-year-old, blue eyes set on Tigerclaw.

A long pause.

"I need to go home," said Tigerclaw hoarsely, not interested in fighting. His eyes were on the floor, gaze distant. Leonardo's brow furrowed.

"Home?" Leo repeated. "To Japan?"

The hulking tiger hunched his shoulders and pressed his trembling hands over his face.

"To my family," whispered Tigerclaw.

He missed Leonardo's look of surprise, but the young mutant simply mulled over his thoughts in silence before finally responding.

"You can never return to New York. Not ever."

A nod.

"Swear, Tigerclaw."

"I swear."

* * *

 _Present_

Tanaka blinked awkwardly under the scrutiny of Donatello's flashlight.

"Alright, alright," said the turtle good-naturedly. "Just wanted to do a little check-up on you, make sure your injuries are still healing and your vitals are normal. The fight at prom kind of banged up your stitches, but I think they're fine."

Tanaka motioned to the door, eager to leave, and Donnie nodded, sending him off with a pat on the shoulder. Tanaka hurriedly slid off the table, trying to shake off the feeling of sorrow that lingered in his chest since Tigerclaw had left.

Honestly, Tanaka had expected the burly mutant to return in a huff a few hours later, but it had been three days since Tigerclaw had stormed off, and he'd heard no word from him. Still, Tanaka was determined to follow through with helping the Hamatos.

He wasn't leaving, damn it.

Entering the lair's living room, he turned in the direction of the couches and television, where a freckled face peered up at him from a beanbag chair. Tanaka's heart lifted, and he accepted Dani's hand, falling onto the beanbag with her and letting her wiggle her long legs until she was in his lap, even though they were definitely too big to both fit on the chair.

Still, Tanaka was more than content to wrap his arms around Dani and take comfort in her warmth and nearness, especially when she turned her head and nuzzled his neck affectionately.

On the couch, Mira, Damon and the lair's newcomer sat.

"So," said Will, reclining against one couch arm with his legs in Damon's lap, "your dad is a mutant turtle."

"Right," smirked Damon.

"But he's your adopted dad."

"Yep."

"So you're human."

Damon and Mira exchanged grins. "Well," said Damon slowly, "Sort of."

"Sort of?" Will raised a brow. High.

"Our mom is kind of a mutant, too," pointed at Dani from her spot in Tanaka's lap. "She's like, a really powerful telepath."

"Oh," squeaked Will.

"But we're normal," added Damon quickly. "I mean, we don't have powers or anything."

"Speak for yourself," said Dani loftily, examining her nails. "I have the power of extreme awesomeness."

"And what about you?" Will asked Mira, who flashed him a quick grin.

"I'm a half-mutant!" she proclaimed, always excited when she could actually talk about it, because personally, she found herself very cool and interesting. "I look human, but I've got a tail and three-toed feet, like my dad. He's the orange turtle."

Will blinked slowly. "Huh," he said simply, before catching Damon's eyes and laughing a bit. "The more you know?" he said, before they all laughed. Just then, voices sounded off to the side of the lair.

"Come on, Luka. How do you lose your prosthetic?"

"Well, I lost my glasses first."

"You lost your prosthetic AND your glasses?"

"Yeah, I mean, the two events are kinda related."

On the other side of the room, Roman walked around the living room and peered at every corner, Luka clinging to his back and peering over his older cousin's shoulder whenever he could. Where Luka's lower right leg had once been, there was now only empty space, and a neatly stitched line where the amputation had taken place.

Fortunately, it didn't stop him from clinging to Roman's back as he'd always done.

"Think, Luka," said Roman, straightening and glancing over his shoulder. "Where'd you last have your glasses?"

Luka pointed to the couch in front of the tv, so the two bounced over as Damon snickered, stretching to look over on the various tables, which were all filled with clutter, because housecleaning in the lair had declined since Papa Splinter had passed away, mostly because it was supposed to Raphael's job.

"Hey, wait," Damon flicked aside a candy bar wrapper. "Found your glasses, Luke."

"Oh, thanks," the boy smiled, taking them over Roman's shoulder and placing them on his face. Then he straightened and used Roman's height to peer all around the lair. "Oh! There's my prosthetic!"

Roman squinted. "Why'd you leave it next to the fridge?"

Luka flushed. "I took it off to try and reach something in the top cabinet."

Roman stared for a moment before letting out a bark of laughter. Dumping Luka on the couch, he retrieved the boy's prosthetic and set it down next to the couch, where Luka's crutches (which he sometimes used in lieu of the prosthetic) also sat. Then Roman fell heavily into a beanbag chair next to the couch and peered up at Will, highly amused as he watched the teen continue to muse thoughtfully in silence.

Then –

"Okay, wait, so … what does all this mutant stuff have to do with ninjas?"

Roman sat up straighter, "Oh! I got this one. Okay, so, our grandfather was a mutant rat ninja master named Splinter, but he used to be a Japanese _human_ ninja master named Hamato Yoshi, before he got attacked and left for dead by his brother."

Roman paused. "Oh, and there was like, a love triangle or something, I'm really not sure."

"Bow-chicka-bow-wow," supplied Mira helpfully.

At this, Will gave a slow, bewildered nod, before he laughed and dropped his arms to the couch. "Okay, I give up for today." The group of teens snickered and turned their attention back to the television, but Michelangelo entered just then and called over to Mira.

"Come on, sweetie, time to go home."

Mira blinked, looking around like he might be talking to someone else. Brows furrowed, she leaned up and peered over the back of the couch. "Right now? But it's like, seven pm!"

"Yeah, but," Mikey shifted a bit, shrugging. "Probably best to go ahead and head home with me, right? Won't you need a ride?"

Mira raised a brow. "Dad, since when? I've always used the subway. Or Rome can take me – "

"Well, I really need to you to go ahead and come home," said Mikey, frowning. "Please, Mira. We need to do some inventory in the restaurant and it'd be really helpful if you came and helped."

Huffing, Mira crumbled under Mikey's pitiful stare, and she turned to Roman, mimicking a 'text me' motion with her hands. He nodded in understanding as the others all said their good-byes and Mira jumped up, following Mikey woefully out of the lair.

* * *

A few hours later, Mira lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom, which proudly displayed a poster of her favorite female MMA fighter.

Inventory. Yeah, right. Her dad wasn't very good at planning ahead, and he was terrible at lying. And now here she was, bored at home on a weekend. She glanced at her phone, checked a message, and then grinned suddenly. Jumping up, she locked her bedroom door and then darted over to her window.

"Hey there," smirked Roman from the small awning outside of her room.

Mira motioned for him to move and she climbed through the window, keeping it open behind her as she settled next to Roman on the sturdy awning that jutted out from the back of their building, which housed the restaurant on the bottom and their large apartment up top.

The night air was cool and dark, but the burning lights of the city meant it was still lighter than it had any right to be, given the hour.

Reclining next to Roman, Mira sighed heavily and tucked her arms behind her head.

"This sucks," she huffed. "I wonder how long they're gonna be like this."

Roman moved one large arm behind his own head and glanced over at his cousin. "Your mom and dad are just feeling protective, Mira. Give them a break." His eyes turned back up to the night sky, too bright from the city to allow them anything more than a glimpse of the stars. "They're freaked out, that's all. They just want you to be safe."

"I know," groaned Mira. "But they can't do this forever. And I mean, yeah, I got kidnapped, for like, five minutes. And it turned out fine, right?"

Roman raised a brow at her, and Mira flushed.

"Okay, so… not fine," she murmured. "But we're all alive."

"Barely," whispered Roman, eyes on the sky.

A moment passed in silence before Mira turned on her side and poked Roman's ribs. "Hey, dude. Don't start beating yourself up again. You did all you could." She paused, before going on with a shrug that did little to disguise the sincerity behind her next words. "You saved me."

"Luka and Mikey saved you," Roman corrected softly. "All I did was leave before you got attacked."

"Yeah, because you're psychic, and you always know what's gonna happen." Mira rolled her eyes. "Just get over it, already."

"No," said Roman fiercely, sitting up and looking down at her. The look on his face prompted Mira to push herself up as well, lips turned down in a frown. "I won't get over it. I'm never going to let myself forget about this, because I needed – " he paused, swallowed tightly. "I needed this wake-up call, Mira. This could've ended much, much worse, and - "

His eyes lifted to hers. "What would I have done if I'd lost you?"

Mira blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden shift in his tone, his usual casual air replaced by something soft and unspeakably sad. Cheeks flushed, Mira wrapped her arms around her upraised knees and lifted her shoulders in a shrug, not saying anything.

Roman turned his gaze away from her, one arm balanced on an upraised knee. "I need to be a real leader – a better leader than I've been. Because – I just, I don't know, when I thought you were gone, Mira… " he inhaled deeply, tilting his head in her direction to peer at her. "I realized I'd taken a hell of a lot for granted."

Mira bit her lip. "Like what?"

City traffic rushed by, and the usual sounds of New York City continued, but on the small roof where the two teens sat, the noises faded away as Roman leaned in and softly, slowly pressed his lips to Mira's.

The usually boisterous girl managed a tiny squeak, her lips pressing just a bit against his in response before he pulled away, eyes on her shocked face.

"Like you," he told her quietly.

The two stared at one another, with Mira frozen in her spot, and they might've stayed that way indefinitely if not for a voice calling her name from inside.

Mikey was knocking on her door. "Hey, Mira! Open up!"

Shrieking, Mira burst into action, waving Roman away – though he'd already practically flown off the roof and onto a fire escape – before she rolled back into her room, launched herself off her bed and then flung open her door, though she blocked the view of her bedroom (and open window) with her body.

"Hey Dad," she choked out, cheeks pink.

Mikey blinked before he raised a brow ridge at her. "Why was your door locked?"

Clicking her tongue, Mira peered over her shoulder at her bedroom before squinting at Mikey. "I'm on my period," she said with a confident nod, "and I got blood like, everywhere. I mean, like, it's… a total Rob Zombie movie in here."

Mikey stared.

"…on the walls," she added. "It's a mess, dude."

The turtle looked slowly behind him and pointed. "Do – Do you want me to get your mom, or…?"

"Nah, I'm good," Mira said, before flashing him a smile. "I'll get it, thanks, though."

Unsettled, the turtle offered her a strained smile and then kissed her cheek. "Good night, sweetie."

"Night, dad."

Mira shut the door with a click and leaned her back against it, eyes clenching shut.

 _Oh my god._

* * *

The following day, the usual movements in the lair continued without interruption, though Luka was more mobile than he'd been in weeks, shuffling through the lair to find his father in the maze of rooms and corridors that the turtles had called home for so many years.

"Dad?" he called, spotting Leonardo in the lair's kitchen, eating a sandwich.

"Hey," Luka managed to get himself up on a stool, a bit breathless. He reeled in it, though, and did his very best to look tall and strong. "I wanted to – " he paused, clearing his throat and hoping he sounded healthy and normal, " – I wanted to tell you I'm ready to start training again." At his father's blank stare, he added, "You know. In the dojo, with the others."

From his spot at the counter, Leo swallowed his bite of food and placed his sandwich back on the napkin he'd used in place of a plate. "You don't have to do that, Luka. Just take time to heal."

"I'm healed," protested Luka immediately. "I mean, mostly."

"You really don't need to feel rushed," said Leo as he pulled up a stool, seating himself next to the young boy. "I promise, no one is holding it against you. Training isn't the most important thing, Luke."

The young boy frowned. "But I want to."

As he'd expected, Leonardo gave him a look of surprise. "SInce when? You hate training," pointed out Leo with a small laugh. "You always have."

Luka lowered his eyes. "I know," he admitted softly. "But – I just can't help but think what might've happened to Mira if we hadn't been trained. If none of us had been able to help her, she might be gone. Forever."

Leonardo watched Luka as the boy raised his gaze directly to Leo's, something he rarely did.

"I understand why we train now," he told Leo in as firm and resolute a tone as Leo had ever heard from him. "I want to be able to protect our family. I don't want to give up just because of my leg."

Appreciation, potent and mixed with a great deal of pride, bubbled in Leo's chest. "That's honorable, son. But… it won't be easy. With your surgery and the prosthetic… it'll be painful, getting back into the motions. You'll have to work twice as hard as you did before."

Luka seemed to think this over for a moment before he nodded. "I can do it."

Leo's lips quirked, and he sighed softly, picking up his sandwich again. "I know you can," he told him sincerely. "Still, though. It'll be rough. We'll have to start you out with katas, and work you up from there."

Luka's response was a beaming smile, and he nodded. "I can do that," he said, before jumping up from his stool and promptly falling over, because without feeling in his prosthetic, sometimes he landed on it funny.

He popped right back up, though.

"I'm okay!" he told Leo happily, before hurrying off to the dojo.

* * *

Unfortunately, Luka wasn't the only one struggling in the dojo that day.

"What the hell am I watchin' right now?" asked Raphael with a growl, arms folded. "Someone tell me, 'cause I can't tell. Are you four trainin', or are you tryin' out for the Four Stooges?"

Grunting, Mira lunged forward with her blades, dashing across the dojo floor at Damon, who batted her away with his nunchucks easily and then caught her ankle with one chain, flipping her over and straight to the ground.

"Whoo!" Damon cheered, grinning. "That's the first time I've taken you down in years, Mira!"

"Shut up," she groused from the floor, hair and sweat clinging to her face and neck.

Next to them, Roman was having a similar run of uncharacteristically bad luck, and with one swift kick to the back of his knees, Dani sent her much larger cousin to the floor with ease. Straightening, she fanned herself with her tessen, grinning.

"You two are total trash today!" she declared, laughing with Damon. The twins rarely, if ever, bested Roman or Mira in training, and the two oldest cousins were not dealing well with their defeat.

Unfortunately, Roman and Mira did not even have each other to commiserate with on their terrible day, because Mira had spent the entire afternoon very pointedly ignoring Roman and going out of her way to avoid him.

"What the hell is goin' on with you two today?" growled Raphael, tossing out one muscled arm. "Get yer' head out of your asses. Eugh, you know what – Just go drop and give me fifty," he pointed to Roman and Mira, both of whom groaned loudly.

"This isn't boot camp, Raph," noted Leo lightly from the side, where he led Luka in a series of slow, careful katas.

"Yeah, well, it oughta be," grunted the turtle. "Cause these two are slackin'. And Roman, if you make that face at me one more time, I'll sit on yer' back and make you do your push-ups with my heavy ass weighin' you down, you hear me?"

Growling deep in his throat, Roman dropped to the floor next to Mira, who was equally furious; the two refused to acknowledge each other, however, and simply started their push-ups with unwavering attention on the floor, not even glancing at one another.

Raphael glanced over at the dojo doors and let out yet another yell.

"AND NO BOYFRIENDS IN THE DOJO!"

Tanaka and Will both froze at the door, and Tanaka pointedly made eye-contact with Raphael and reached in a bare foot, toeing the dojo mat to show Raphael that he was just _barely_ outside the forbidden zone.

At Raphael's wild growl, Tanaka dashed off, leaving a wide-eyed Will to squeak and hurry out of Raphael's view.

Damon glanced over at Dani with a grin. "Tanaka really seems to like pissing off burly, overly angry mutants, you know that?"

"It's his favorite pastime," she conceded, before turning to Raph. "Can we go?"

"God, yes. Go. Get outta' here," grunted Raphael, and the twins hurried out as he continued to grumble about damn unruly teenagers.

Off to the side, Mira poured sweat as she pressed herself to finish the push-ups before Roman, which she did. Hopping up, she walked past him without a word, and Roman watched her go, feeling his body sag to the floor once he was done.

Sighing, he pulled himself up and wiped at his face.

Then, after taking a few minutes to catch his breath and steel his resolve, Roman stood up and left the dojo.

* * *

Loud music pulsed from the speakers she'd set atop an old chair, but Mira could still hear the door when it opened.

Still, she concentrated solely on the punching bag in front of her, each hit earning a grunt from the pint-sized ninja. The punching bag was in one of the lower rooms in the lair, and since it was the only thing of interest in the dusty old room, Mira saw no reason why anyone should bother her.

Unfortunately, Roman seemed intent on bothering her anyway. Her eyes flickered to him just long enough to watch him enter cautiously, closing the door behind him.

"Mira," he said, fighting to be heard over her music without yelling. Mira ignored him, turning a kick to the punching bag that left a stinging sensation against her bare leg. To her left, Roman rolled his eyes and moved over, turning down the music and then approaching her carefully.

"Mira, come on. Talk to me, please."

When she didn't respond, he leaned against the back of the punching bag. "Come on, midget, just look at me for two seconds – Unf!" he backed off when a well-placed kick on the bag suckered him in the stomach as well.

Scowling, Roman glared at Mira for a moment before his featured softened and he dropped his arms. "Look, if you're mad at me about the kiss, I'm – I'm really sorry. I'll never do it again, and we can forget all about it – "

"Why'd you do it?"

Roman paused, and Mira watched as he rounded the bag to stand next to her. The music continued to play in the background, some hard jam that seemed fitting for Mira's belligerent mood. At her question, Roman glanced around before looking at her again.

"I, uh, thought it was pretty obvious."

"Well, it wasn't," Mira huffed, folding her bare arms. "So – What was it? Why did you – you know," she shifted uneasily, "Why'd you kiss me?"

When Roman hesitated, her eyes narrowed. "What, did you like, run out of girlfriends at school, finally?"

"Mira, it's not like that – "

"Because you've got a new date like, every week, so what, you thought you'd just take a turn at me?"

"What? No, Mira! It's – " Roman groaned, dragging his tired hands down his face. "It's not like that at all. Why would you ever think that?"

Mira slammed both fists into the punching bag. " _Because I've seen the girls you date!"_ she exploded, frizzy hair stuck to her neck in sweaty swirls. Roman took a step back, his eyes wide, before he lowered his gaze at Mira's broken expression. "And they don't look like me," she said much more quietly, a tiny sniffle audible as she lightly knocked against the bag again. "They look like Dani."

"Ew, gross," Roman piped up instantly. "They do not!"

"You know what I mean, you stupid," growled Mira, picking up a water bottle and throwing it at him. He dodged it with some difficulty. "I mean they're – you know, like tall and pretty and skinny and – they wear makeup and heels and – all the shit I don't – "

"Mira…" Roman stepped towards her, but she pulled away, tears poking at the corners of her eyes.

"And they go to parties and know what to wear and – they always know what to do, and I never know! I'm not like that, Roman! I'm just … Mira." Suddenly deflated, she pulled her arms around her torso and shrugged awkwardly.

Roman watched her for a moment before stepping a bit closer. "You think I don't know all that? Come on, Mira, we've known each other our whole lives. I know you better than anyone else on this planet." Her eyes flickered up to his but she said nothing, so he continued.

"But did you ever think…" he paused, clearing his throat, "… that maybe I dated girls like that because I didn't want anyone to realize how I felt about you?"

Slowly, Mira lifted her face to stare up at him. Then her brows furrowed. "No," she said flatly. "Why would I ever think that?"

Roman sighed, sinking onto a cement block that served as a table. He pressed his elbows against his knees and leaned over, eyes on his clasped hands. "Yeah, I know. Stupid. But… it's true."

He risked a look up at Mira, and he could see the struggle clearly in her features. She wasn't ready to believe him, self-doubt too powerful to let her relax. Tears lingered still, ready to spill over her cheeks.

"I mean," he continued slowly, "Don't get me wrong. I liked some of those girls. But… " Sighing heavily. "Mira, you're my – favorite person in this whole world. And if I could pick anyone to be with and… you know, date? It'd be you. Every time."

At Mira's astonished look, he admitted sheepishly, "But I was never, ever planning on telling you."

"Why not?" asked Mira, shifting just a hair closer.

Roman raised a brow at her. "Why do you think? Our parents would freak. People at school – god, I don't even want to think about it. It just – it scared me. And I thought it would just be easier for both of us if I just… ignored it."

Mira slowly sat on the ground in front of him, knees pulled up in front of her, ankles crossed.

"So what changed?" she asked softly.

Silence fell between them for a few moments before Roman managed to speak.

"After what happened at prom and… everything, I just – I hated myself for not protecting you. And I knew if something had happened to you, you would've never known how I felt." Roman plucked at a stray string from his shorts.

"And you … you deserve to know, Mira." Roman let the room fall silent for a moment before he leaned a bit closer to her and said, "And for the record… you're beautiful."

Mira's eyes shot up to his, and her usual easy-going countenance shimmered with an earnest look of surprise and fearful hope. "R – Really?"

"Yeah," Roman laughed a little, "You seriously don't realize that?"

Instinctively, Mira's hand jumped to her hair, pulled back in a messy braid, and she realized she still had wraps on her hands from hitting the punching bag. She pulled them off, her shoulders jumping up in a bashful shrug.

There was no way she was beautiful, she thought. Roman could be a sweet-talker when he wanted. He had to be lying.

The teen in question had stood when she wasn't paying attention, and as Mira looked up at him, Roman reached down both hands to her. After a moment's hesitation, she allowed him to pull her up to a standing position.

"Mira," he said to her emphatically, "You're badass. You're strong. You kick ass, you're funny, you're brave. You're my best friend, my favorite person, and – I know you don't look like those girls I've dated, but that's not a bad thing. You have your own thing, something no one else has." He huffed. "Believe me, I've looked."

Roman released her hands and waited for her response, which to him, felt like it was taking an agonizingly long time. Mira's expression was unreadable, her gaze on the floor, and he felt his heart hammering in his chest. The silence seemed to stretch on and on.

"Hey," said Mira suddenly. "You remember that party we got busted at last year? The one where I let Dani pick my outfit and put makeup on me and stuff?"

Roman grinned suddenly. "Uh, yeah. And then the police showed up and we got arrested for running. Aunt April had to bail us out."

Mira nodded, laughing too, and Roman felt his heart lift as she stepped closer. "Well, uh," she tucked a curl behind her ear before continuing bashfully, "… the only reason I let Dani dress me up was because I was hoping you'd notice."

At this bit of news, Roman laughed in surprise. "Wh – Really?"

"Yeah," smirked Mira.

An invisible weight tumbled off Roman's shoulders and he felt his chest expand fully in what felt like the first time in ages. "Well," he said, reaching out with a smile and drawing Mira close, "it definitely worked."

Mira peered up at him and let her chin fall against his chest, since her gaze was directly up to look at his face. Roman's arms encircled her, and her features, pinched with anger only a few minutes before, lit up with a genuine smile.

"Still," said Roman, smoothing a hand over her head, "I think you look pretty awesome like this, too."

"Sweaty after training?" she asked dubiously.

"Total hot badass ninja," he confirmed.

They laughed, and Mira curled against him, turning her head to peer up at him again before she stood on her tiptoes. "Damn it," she grumbled, her cheeks pink. "Too short to kiss you."

"Oh here, I'll fix that," he said, instantly crouching and catching Mira behind her knees, lifting her into the air until her face was level with his. Barely containing a squeal of delight, Mira shyly ducked her head against his, each of them hesitant for barely a moment before their lips pressed together.

Roman had a lot more experience kissing than Mira did, but as soon as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss, she caught on quickly, pulling her arms around his neck and pressing close. Roman tightened his arms around her in response, one hand slipping to the middle of her back, which was bare thanks to her short tank top.

The feeling of her skin beneath his hand made his heart race. And seriously, Mira was little but hella fit, and the feeling of her firm grip on his arm was way more of a turn-on than Roman had anticipated.

Which was probably why it was for the best when they heard someone thundering down the stairs a moment later, causing them to jump apart – Mira fell over in a heap from the long drop – just before Raphael burst into the room.

Clearing his throat and shifting away from Raphael, Roman managed an awkward wave as Mira scrambled to her feet.

Raphael watched the two of them suspiciously. "What're you two doin'?"

"Uhh," they chimed in unison, and Raphael pointed heatedly.

"I swear ta' god, if you two are down here puttin' pudding in my god damn punching bag again – "

A grin instantly split Roman's features. "That was one time!"

"And to be fair," said Mira as she edged her way out of the room, out of arm's reach of Raphael, "You love pudding."

"BOTH A'YA SCRAM!"

* * *

Author's Note: Mira is 5'0 and Roman is 6'2. Just for the sake of visuals. ;)


End file.
